Rise & Fall
by Dream Bends
Summary: "Don't be afraid," Aurora repeated the words she once said to Maleficent long ago. The horned woman's eyelids fluttered softly at the words, her breath visibly catching in her throat. They meant something completely different now. Malora Femslash Childbirth Dimension Hopping OC Ally
1. Shadow

Maleficent landed abruptly, although quietly, onto the branches of the most recognizable tree in the moors. It was the tree she often fell asleep in as a child. She spent many nights gazing up into the astral skies, her multicolored eyes soaking up the radiance of the night in both fear and adoration.

Everything had felt so large and unexplored then. Magic had been around every corner, and with each new day she was discovering more and more about her new powers and their seemingly limitless ability.

Now, though, everything felt small and mundane. She had journeyed across the world, and although she had seen beautiful and amazing landscapes, it felt as if there were no life to anything anymore.

A distant squawking caught her attention. Rather than flying off again, she crept quietly down the trunk and hung her outer robes onto a nearby branch. It had been a long flight and they'd become damp and clammy against her wings.

The cawing, accompanied by a light giggling, became louder as she ventured further into the brush. She peered through the thicket into the small clearing, her eyes gleaming in the darkness.

Her pursed lips became a gentle smile as her eyes fell upon Aurora and Diaval playing together in the glade. Maleficent fast became captivated by the young woman as she laughed aloud, lifting up onto the balls of her feet and making small leaps in an attempt to catch the ribbon clasped in Diaval's talons.

She had changed in Maleficent's absence. She was taller now, and had developed all the curves she'd been blessed with at birth. Maleficent could no longer see a child in her face. It had become sharp and contoured. Her eyes, although still the same round and wondrous eyes from her childhood, had become mischievous and daring. Her lips curled into an impetuous smirk.

"Diaval, you brat, drop it!" she demanded.

He complied, dropping the silvery ribbon and letting it glide down to her outstretched hands. He flapped his wings a few times before landing onto a rotting trunk and exhaling heavily.

She let out a laden breath as well and proceeded to tie the ribbon back around her neck where it belonged. What astonished Maleficent the most was Aurora's clothing, if clothing was even a proper term for the strange scraps of brown leather that covered what was necessary. They seemed to be held in place by nothing more than thick cords of sinewy vines. The most normal thing on her entire body was the string of ribbon she had just adorned.

She paused for a moment, as though listening intently for something, and glanced across the glade in Maleficent's direction. Maleficent's heart thudded in her chest then, curious if after all this time her beastie could still sense her presence.

"Diaval," she motioned to him with her hand, "I think I'll stay here for the night. If you don't mind I'm rather worn out from your antics," she chuckled, bowing her head his way.

Diaval surprisingly obliged, and Maleficent held her breath, wondering if she had gone unnoticed or if the girl had plans to shout at her in private for leaving so long without notice. Truthfully, she didn't want to see the pained look in her eyes had she told her she was going to engage in a solitary trip around the world. She had left a note with Diaval, however, explaining everything.

Aurora remained there for a moment longer, dropping her arms to her sides and closing her eyes. She strode slowly, but purposefully forward, nearing Maleficent's hiding place. She reached out in front of her, cautiously twitching her fingers at the breeze around her. Her steps slowed as she came within a few feet of the horned woman. Mere scattered bushes separated the two and if Maleficent had let out the breath of air she'd been holding, Aurora would have surely felt it.

She stopped, hand outstretched and reaching into the thicket until her fingers brushed a rough horn. Maleficent finally let go of the breath she'd been holding. Aurora's fingers ventured further up, caressing the tips of one horn with both eyes still closed tight. She ran her finger left and right across a prominent ridge and let a heavy sigh escape her.

"You're a bit shorter since the last time I did this," she mused.

"I assure you, I am the same height," Maleficent chuckled, and Aurora's eyes came open at the sound of her voice. They were a piercing blue, and much icier than Maleficent remembered them being. Maleficent gazed back into them, unfaltering as always.

"I was afraid to open my eyes. I thought you might not be real." Her hands slid down the textured horns and met her pointed ears, tenderly smoothing the pads of her thumbs along the cartilage. Maleficent shivered outwardly and took a step backward into the brush, losing her footing on an unearthed root. She staggered, throwing her wings open to catch her balance. In the process, she snapped a few nearby branches and sent a powerful rush of air in Aurora's direction.

The girl was unaffected, however, and instead of flinching away she followed Maleficent into the brush, easing carefully past the scattered thicket. She padded through the upturned soil without a sound, as soft as a doe in the presence of a hunter.

"Don't be afraid," she repeated the words she once said to Maleficent long ago. The horned woman's eyelids fluttered softly at the words, her breath visibly catching in her throat. They meant something completely different now.

"I am not-" she began, but it would have been a lie. She was afraid. And her fear grew as Aurora pressed on, coming closer with each step until Maleficent found herself backed into the rough trunk of a large tree. Aurora's hands were on her again. Her touch was feather soft and infinitely careful as she grazed over Maleficent's high cheek bones and descended to the sides of her neck. The feeling was so phenomenally different from the way she had touched her as a child.

"All I have seen every night as I fall asleep is your face, your eyes. Your perfect features. I'd lay awake and wonder if I would ever see you again."

Maleficent opened her mouth to respond but Aurora drew a finger across her lips just then and she choked on her own words. Her heart thrashed in her chest like never before in her life. Not when she first flew, not during her first kiss. Not even while blanketed by a massive net of iron chains, fearing for her life. She closed her eyes in an effort to compose herself. All she could focus on was Aurora's cool palm and how it slid against her neck, how the pad of her thumb traced her bottom lip. Her heart refused to slow, and her breath became labored.

"Aurora," she tried, and her voice cracked. She cleared her throat and opened her eyes again, regaining some control at the sound of her own voice. For a moment she was convinced she had walked into one of her dreams and was almost willing to let it unravel. "Aurora," she repeated, a little more power in her voice. She took Aurora gently by the wrists and disengaged her hands from their wandering.

She cleared her throat again, unsure of how to even respond to everything that had just been said and done. She gazed into Aurora's icy blue eyes with all the fierceness of a supernova, her lips still tingling where the girl had grazed her. "Did Diaval tell you somehow?" she finally mustered up the courage to ask.

Aurora furrowed her eyebrows at this, pursing her lips slightly. "Tell me what?"

If at all possible, Maleficent's heart thudded harder in her chest. "About the curse," she breathed.

Aurora lowered her eyes at this. "I figured that out on my own. My father took your wings. You cursed me as his punishment." She raised her eyes again. "I forgive you." She trailed her fingers delicately against Maleficent's arm, gazing openly into her eyes.

For a brief moment Maleficent was reminded of the first time she lifted the girl into her arms, and she flinched away from Aurora yet again, ashamed.

"Aurora, I think I need to explain to you all of what happened then. Afterward... You can tell me if you still feel-" Maleficent paused, then gestured back and forth between the two of them with a swish of her fingers. "that way," she finished inadequately.

Aurora flashed an impish grin at Maleficent's use of words. "My feelings about that," she laughed, "will not change. I promise you that."

Maleficent's cheeks flushed; she turned away in an attempt to hide it. "Come with me. We can at least speak in comfort."

She raised her hand, carefully unfurling her fingers and releasing a wisp of gold magic into the air. It flitted forward and expanded into a rippling black portal. Aurora stared at it for a moment, dumbstruck.

"A doorway? To where?"

"Home", she answered simply.


	2. Void

The void sucked Aurora into its clutches as a sinkhole would, pulling and lapping at her arm hungrily. She gasped as it attempted to suction her away, and backed away from it instinctively until she felt Maleficent's hand on the small of her back, guiding her.

"It's okay," she assured. "It's safe. I'll be right behind you."

"Don't let go," she pleaded, and gripped Maleficent's hand in her own. In one instant, dizzying movement, they were wrenched through.

A flurry of white, powdery sand sifted beneath them on the other side. Particles of it rose up from the ground as though it were a fine mist, swaying gently back and forth with the scarce breeze. It collected in the folds of her leathery attire, but did not scratch or burn. It was warm, and dry. Aurora was overwhelmed with the desire to lay down in it at once.

She banished the thought as the sky above her vied for her attention. It was black as oil, and the stars caught within it were so bright and so close, she could even see the shape of some of them. The strangest of it all, they would spin and dance intermittently, spit fire and collide. Some would fold into each other, merge, and be born anew. Then they would freeze in place, flicker, dance again. Forever in motion.

A flash of silver drew her eyes to the side. It slicked across the earth, as bright and reflective as liquid mirror. It surged into the hand of a girl cloaked in a white, hooded long coat. She hardly glanced at Aurora and Maleficent before turning her back on them.

"I thought it was safe here," Aurora eyed Maleficent suspiciously.

"That one will not harm us," Maleficent waved her off, "Let us go inside."

Enormous, curving branches exploded out of the ground in that moment, leaving glittering gold and green smoke in their wake. They contorted, smashing together and rising above them with a speed that left Aurora's head spinning. In seconds they had fashioned a small house. The last to materialize was the door, which swung forward on its own, admitting them.

Maleficent gestured her inside.

The floor, walls and roof were all composed of the same massive, curving branches. Everything inside was fashioned from the magicked wood. A small portion of the floor came together to form a bowl full of fruits, berries, vegetables and foliage. At one end of the structure, the wood enclaved a small, crackling fire. It cradled a flat clay bowl of herbs that smelled mildly of cinnamon. At the opposite end, the floor came together yet again to create a large, circular basin filled with crystal clear water. Near that, another large inset contained a nest of wrappings and blankets.

"I didn't expect you to live in a place like this," Aurora admitted.' How long have you lived here?' She walked toward the small fire, sliding her fingers along the ridges of the walls as she went.

"Since my wings were taken from me. I began to rely on my magic for a lot more, and discovered I could do many things with it. I wanted to go somewhere I could be alone and at peace. I found this place."

"It's beautiful."She crouched down at the fire, breathing deep. "And cozy," she continued. "You brought me here for privacy, then?" She couldn't contain the grin that broke free of her lips.

"Yes," Maleficent nodded, though with a sly smirk. "To talk. Now sit."

Aurora quickly obeyed, crossing her legs as she sat before the fire. With a swish of her hand, Maleficent fashioned a seat for herself. Branches peeled away from the walls and floors, bending and snapping to form the back and legs of a spiny chair.

"I need to tell you what happened between your father and I," she began, "Part of the reason I brought you here was so that you could not run off like the last time I desperately needed to explain things to you."

Aurora cast her eyes downward at this. "I'm sorry-" she started, but Maleficent held a finger to her lips in silence.

"No apologies, beastie. I just need you to listen until the very end."

And she told her. She began with her childhood, of growing up in the moors, knowing of humans but never having seen them before. She explained how she met Aurora's father, about the iron ring he had thrown away for her. How she had seen it as a powerful gesture. She told of how they grew close, about his gift to her, his kiss. How it felt like a promise. How they grew close. How he abandoned her, leaving her to fear the worst. How he returned to warn her, and then...

"How could he?"

Maleficent looked up from her dazed recollections, thrown off by the interruption. Aurora's eyebrows were furrowed in distaste, tears stinging at her eyes. She grimaced, holding her stomach as though she were about to be sick. "How could he?" she repeated forcefully, glaring heatedly into the flames. "I thought..."She looked up at Maleficent; a tear trickled down her cheek. "I thought he might have been your enemy...trapped you somehow, taken your wings by force. Not like this." She looked away again, shaking her head. "You loved him, didn't you?"

Aurora let slip a small sob at the question, quickly averting her eyes. She focused on the fire.

Maleficent wanted desperately to hurry to the girl's side and hold her but thought it best not to get close- not until the end of her story, not until she knew for sure that Aurora would not change.

"I thought I did. But I was young."

Aurora's lips twisted into another painful grimace and she leaned forward slightly, hugging her knees to her chest.

"I haven't finished," Maleficent went on. "What I meant to tell you... it hasn't been said.

"After I gathered my strength, I was filled with hatred and revenge. I wanted only to hurt him in some way. I sent Diaval to spy on him, and discovered a child had been born. The queen he'd won...your mother...he had already...moved on. Began his own family. I was just a step in his ladder and it enraged me.

"And I... did the unthinkable. I cursed a baby to die. Not just die, but on her sixteenth birthday. To give her father plenty of time to grow attached to and love her. So that he could experience even more pain when she died. He pleaded with me not to, and in my blindness and cruelty I couldn't be more pleased with his begging. I offered a means of breaking the curse."

Aurora glanced up at Maleficent at this point, the fire setting her face aglow. Her tears had dried, but her face appeared stony and cold despite the warmth of the room. Her lashes fell low in clear exhaustion.

"I told him true love's kiss could break the curse, to spite him. He and I both knew well that there existed no such kiss. I had no mercy in my heart then, and only wanted to watch him suffer."

Maleficent fell silent, breaking hers and Aurora's gaze. She fiddled with the tips of her fingers, embarrassed at the thought of revealing the next portion of the story. It suddenly felt swelteringly hot inside the house and without lifting a finger she snuffed the fire out.

"But I'm here," Aurora continued for her. "The curse. You took it back, didn't you?"

"I tried. I swear I did. I couldn't fathom living without you. I wished to take it all back. But it couldn't be done. No power on earth could change it, including my own."

"Then... My curse was broken properly..." Aurora's eyes widened slightly at the thought, still staring into the fire dazedly.

"It was Diaval's idea. The boy from the forest. We both saw your exchange..."

Aurora drew her brows together, looking up at Maleficent and shaking her head. "Philip?"

"We brought him to you where you slept in the castle. Then the faeries had him kiss you."

Aurora shook her head again at this, confusion etched into her soft features. Maleficent paused, observing her reaction. This was what she'd been waiting to see. She wouldn't- couldn't go on until first knowing.

"Then... Philip is my true love?" she pondered aloud, eyes unfocused. She stared back to the ground, lost in thought for a moment. Maleficent didn't answer her question. She only stayed silent, carefully watching Aurora's reaction, reading into every twitch of her lips. A shiver ran down her back and Maleficent regretted putting the fire out. When Aurora fell silent as well, Maleficent got to her feet and fashioned a small dresser out of the surrounding walls and floors. She withdrew a hooded cape from it and approached Aurora carefully, wing tips gliding smoothly across the wood floors.

"I don't..." Aurora started, then her words failed her. Maleficent wrapped the cloak about her shoulders, her nails lightly brushing the side of Aurora's neck. Aurora shivered again, turning around to face her.

"I don't believe it," she declared. Her eyes bore into Maleficent's, the ice in them momentarily blackened into a twilight blue. They locked onto Maleficent. As though spellbound, Maleficent knelt beside her and opened her wings up around them.

"Why not?"she inquired in a low voice.

"Because," Aurora returned. She moved her lips, intending to say more, but she became suddenly shy. She dropped her chin, dismayed.

"Because why?" Maleficent pushed her, gently lifting her chin again with the tip of one slender finger.

Aurora groped at the front of Maleficent's robes in response, balling the fabric up into a tight fist. Maleficent pulled back, surprised with how frustrated and angry Aurora appeared. She felt powerless under her intense gaze. She scrutinized her every feature, from her clenched jaw to her scarcely pouting lower lip. Aurora had always been so sure of herself. It was unusual to see her so outwardly hesitant.

In an instant, she drew the horned woman closer and pressed the side of her cheek to Maleficent's. Maleficent's heart simultaneously plummeted to her stomach. She froze, unsure of how to respond. She could practically feel Aurora's breath on her ear.

"Because." She whispered, causing her skin to prickle.

Maleficent felt Aurora's hand release the front of her robes. At the same time, her other hand gripped the base of one of her wings and squeezed gently. She let out a gasp at the touch, suddenly both terrified and enamored.

Aurora pulled away again, her lips and cheeks visibly darker. She leaned into Maleficent, guiding the woman backward onto the floor by her wing. Maleficent's heart exploded in her chest, thudding away as though in fear for her life. Instinctively, she blew a soft wave of gold into Aurora's advancing lips and the girl instantly stilled, her eyes fluttering shut. She hovered away from Maleficent, suspended in mid air.

Maleficent's heart continued to pound as she willed herself to breathe, drawing a hand to her chest and brushing her own forehead with the back of her hand. She exhaled shakily, slowly getting to her feet to regain her composure. She drew Aurora up with her, gazing at her lips wistfully. She was so peaceful like this, like she had been when she was young. Now that she was older she was more intense, even primal. It shook Maleficent.

"What are you doing?" she asked herself. "You can't keep knocking her out every time she gets too close."

She smiled, reaching forward and twisting her finger around a stray ringlet of Aurora's hair. "Much less of a danger like this, though. Little beastie."

She drew away from the young woman and retreated to her chair, crossing her legs. She smoothed her thumb along her bottom lip for a moment, considering her options.

"She'll wake up all flustered,"she mused. "I don't believe I've ever seen her angry."

She paused, eyes darting to Aurora's. She stood again, circling the girl. She carefully pulled the cloak closer around her shoulders and guided her body to the cozy nest of blankets at the end of the room.

"Sleep peacefully," she enchanted, giving her hand a slight wave. Aurora sank into Maleficent's outstretched arms. She tucked the young woman away under the covers, smiling at the little whimpers she made in her sleep.

"Goodnight, beastie."


	3. Turbulent

_Thank you so much, all of you who are reading and enjoying my story so far. It's been a very long time since I've written anything and this is my way of practicing. Here is a short chapter to keep you all intrigued. I have another very long one that will be complete soon as well. You will not be disappointed. ;)_

_- DB_

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Wind scattered white sand against the branches encompassing Maleficent's home, pelting at its walls with soft tapping sounds. The fire was crackling softly again. Aurora's nose twitched at the scent as she slowly came awake. She batted her eyes, attempting to shake off the heaviness of her enchanted sleep. A foreign weight pressed down on her.

She groaned, rolling onto her back. A heavy wing had been draped over her. She glanced around, bleary-eyed, to see Maleficent's peaceful, sleeping face within arm's reach.

The horned woman lay curled on one side, her right wing folded gently behind her while the left lay stretched over Aurora's entire body. It was surprisingly warm. Her lips were pursed, and her eyebrows knit. She kept both arms curled in toward her chest, breathing rapidly for being so deeply asleep.

Confused as to what happened, Aurora lifted herself up onto her elbows and glanced around the room, trying desperately to remember what had occurred the night before.

Maleficent shook in her sleep. Her eyelids flickered. Aurora watched her for awhile as she curled and uncurled her fingers and would clench her teeth, jaw visibly tightening. Aurora reached out and stroked her cheek.

"It's okay," she purred.

When she didn't relax, she ran her fingers through her dark hair, humming. She combed it behind one pointed ear, and crept in closer to the woman.

"Aura," Maleficent mumbled, and Aurora smiled at the nickname.

"Yes?"

"Not my wings," she struggled to say. Her eyes flickered again and she clamped her wing down onto Aurora's body even tighter. Aurora reached out with one hand and began to stroke it along the top and around its talon.

"Your wings are safe," she said, squeezing at it reassuringly. Maleficent leapt awake at the touch, jumping at the sight before her. For a moment she looked scared, that awful and terrifying look she wore when encircled by clanging iron shields and chains. Helpless. The look quickly dissolved into a smile as she absorbed the sight of Aurora laying comfortably beneath her wing, warm in Maleficent's bed. Their eyes met, and Maleficent's gaze remained steady and unabashed as Aurora continued to caress her wing.

"I hope we didn't end up having a magnificent time last night, because I cant seem to recall a thing." Aurora smirked.

Maleficent's cheeks went ablaze at her words. For a moment Aurora thought she saw a small, mischievous smile, but it was quickly replaced by a look of fear. She tensed under Aurora's touch.

"What's wrong?" Aurora begged.

"Nothing," Maleficent lied. She looked a bit uncomfortable, but didn't move. Her eyes followed Aurora's fingers, focusing intently on their movements.

"What happened last night?" Aurora asked, dipping her fingers between Maleficent's feathers and combing gently through them.

"I put you to sleep," Maleficent answered straightforwardly.

"Why?" Her eyebrows knitted and she frowned.

"You got frisky."

Aurora grinned this time, leaning in closer and pressing her forehead against Maleficent's.

"I can't be frisky?"

"No." Maleficent answered quickly, but did not pull away. Her lips remained pursed, her eyes vibrant and piercing.

"What if I were always frisky? Would you have to put me to sleep forever again?"

Maleficent blinked several times and opened and closed her mouth, failing to respond. She ended up pursing her lips again. Aurora couldn't help but stare at them. She wanted so badly to press her own against them, to lose herself in the woman. Every fiber of her being was pressuring her to do it but she was terrified of driving Maleficent away yet again.

"You have to promise you won't do that anymore," Aurora pressed. "No more using your magic on me. Unless it's good. Okay?"

Maleficent emitted a light growl, frowning.

"Promise," Aurora demanded, tapping her lightly on the nose. Maleficent blinked at the touch.

"Okay," she grunted, not happy about the agreement. Aurora smirked at her pouting lips.

"You called me Aura while you were sleeping," she smiled and pulled away, stumbling a little as she climbed to her feet, Maleficent's wing sliding from her heavily. Aurora was hyper aware of the horned woman's eyes following her every move.

"Did I?"

She watched as Aurora knelt at the basin of cool water and scooped some up with her hands.

"It was cute."

She took a sip, glancing back at Maleficent from the corner of her eye. She hadn't moved from her nest, still curled up softly on her side and looking rather lonely.

"Did I say anything... interesting?" Maleficent questioned her, raising an eyebrow.

Aurora flashed an impish grin and rose to her feet. "Something about..." she started, gently removing the cloak Maleficent had wrapped around her the night before. She rubbed at her tone, sun-kissed biceps idly, making a show of glancing up at the ceiling as if trying to recall some buried memory. "My eyes."

Maleficent sat up; one slender eyebrow remained arched.

"Oh, and you mentioned my lips, too," Aurora continued, patting down a strap of leather that had slid up her thigh while she slept. Maleficent's eyes dipped momentarily as she did this, then sprang back up nonchalantly.

"I'm convinced you were dreaming," Maleficent chuckled, getting to her feet as well and stretching her wings. They seemed to fill the entire room.

Aurora frowned for a moment, disappointed. "You also mentioned being inexplicably shy," Aurora pestered, and Maleficent balked at this, dropping her wings.

"I am not shy," she asserted, striding across the room to the doorway and flinging it open without making contact. "I'm going to bathe. Join me if you like," she invited, looking back over her shoulder at Aurora with a challenging glance.

Aurora's heart jumped into her throat, thudding violently. She found herself unable to respond, not at all expecting Maleficent's invitation. With a smirk, Maleficent stepped down into the whipping sands outside, leaving Aurora looking baffled.


	4. Variant

_I intended on waiting a little longer to upload this one, since it has a bit of an interesting twist to it. Hopefully you all continue to enjoy it with the same consistency (or more!). Either way, I am almost done writing the next chapter, so don't fret. I won't have you waiting too_ _long._

_-DB_

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Aurora's feet slipped into the sifting sands as she fought to catch up with Maleficent. She trailed behind her quietly, heart throbbing as she wondered desperately where the woman was taking her. Then she saw an outcrop of stone in the distance and a faint trickle of water reached her ears. Maleficent glanced back at her in that moment, brandishing a sly smile.

She flapped her wings momentarily, using them to gain distance on Aurora. She dropped into the outcrop and out of Aurora's view.

Aurora came upon the clearing shortly afterward, smoothing her hands along the rocks as she approached. They were soft, as though polished, though they did not shine. They were flat and bone-white, rising up around the strange oasis as a wall against the powder sands. Strange, pink coral crept out from in between the slabs of white stone.

A fountain of steaming water shot out of one of the rocky outcrops and trickled smoothly across the stone and into a center pool. Heat came off of the place in waves. Aurora's hair immediately began to curl in on itself in the humidity.

She peered into the water suspiciously, still not having seen where Maleficent had disappeared to. She approached the water's edge and kneeled down next to it, humming to herself.

"Mal?" she called, uncertain.

She strained her eyes against the mist. A pair of horns appeared in the water's reflection, and before she could turn around, she was shoved roughly into the pool. She splashed around for a moment, trying and failing to compose herself.

Maleficent crouched at the water's edge, laughing.

"Got you, beastie." She chuckled, sidling into the pool beside her. Aurora smirked in return, scooping up a handful of water and slinging it into Maleficent's face in a wave, drenching her hair and wings.

Maleficent didn't respond as expected, dipping fully into the water and taking a deep breath on the way back up. She shook her head, whipping long strings of dark hair about her horns and shoulders. Aurora's eyes were drawn to the beads of water that slid down the edge of her jaw, down her neck. Her skin shined in the light of the strange, star-filled sky.

If at all possible, Aurora's heart hammered faster still as she realized Maleficent had begun removing her robes.

"Mal," she said again, uncertain. Maleficent turned away from her as she dropped the robe away from her chest, still careful and modest in Aurora's presence. She waded into a lower portion of the pool, submerging herself up to her shoulders before facing her again.

"I like you calling me that," she said smoothly, voice low and barely audible above the bubbling water.

Aurora sank below the surface as well, pushing off from the floor of the pool before resurfacing again. She shook her hair, splashing Maleficent in the process. Her hair sprang back into long, sturdy ringlets. The horned woman shot her a playful scowl, slowly beating her wings beneath the surface. The currents rushed around Aurora's body, rocking her slightly.

"Okay," Aurora resigned. "You're not as shy as I assumed."

Maleficent cracked a smile at this, and began swimming a small circle around her.

"But you're still pretty shy," Aurora instigated.

Maleficent's eyes flickered fiercely, swimming closer. Aurora absolutely adored the fact that she had a way to tease the woman without pushing her away. She would take advantage of it whenever she could, regardless of the fact that her heart was already hammering out of control.

Maleficent floated just out of reach, teasing Aurora in her own way.

"You seem to be the one still clothed." Maleficent pointed out, her eyes trailing down Aurora's neck and landing momentarily on her leather-clad chest. Her eyes shot back up to her face. "And blushing," she added airily, turning away from her again.

Flustered, Aurora pushed off from the edge of the pool with her feet and coasted alongside Maleficent, reaching out and brushing her arm as she went. Maleficent recalled her wings, hugging them against her body as she turned to face Aurora again, raising an eyebrow.

Aurora swam in close, reaching out and petting at Maleficent's wings as she kicked her feet. Maleficent backed into a jutting stone and paused, her wings still pressed firmly against her body.

Aurora held one of her own arms out in front of her, wrist up, and began to unravel one of the vines that had been tied there. She slowly unwound it from her arm, all the way up her neck and to her chest where it began to fall loose on its own. She let go of it and bashfully took Maleficent's hand into her own.

Maleficent's lips parted slightly, her eyes following Aurora's hand as the young woman drew them closer to her lips. She smoothed the bottom of her lip against Maleficent's knuckles, kissing gently. Maleficent's eyes fluttered shut at the gesture and when she met Aurora's gaze again, something had changed in her eyes. It was almost as though she were about to cry.

Aurora leaned into her hand then, pressing her cheek into Maleficent's palm and closing her eyes. They sprang back open when she felt Maleficent's other hand tug at her waist from below the surface, reeling her in closer.

It was dizzying, being so unimaginably close to the usually stoic woman. Her body felt like it had gone numb from the proximity. She could no longer tell the difference between the warmth of the water and of her body. Her heart could have stopped under Maleficent's heated gaze.

Aurora was suddenly unsure of how to react. She had almost expected Maleficent to push her away again, or to knock her unconscious. But she just lay there against the smooth rocks, hand still clasped softly onto her waist, the other stroking Aurora's cheek and jaw. Her eyes trailed patterns along Aurora's face, first gazing longingly into her eyes, then darting across her neck and jaw. This was the first time she had truly felt her and Aurora savored the softness of her hands, leaning into her more and more as she continued to stroke her.

When she opened her eyes again, Maleficent was mere inches from her face.

"I kissed you," Maleficent said suddenly, catching Aurora off guard. "Well, I kissed you on the forehead," she corrected, averting her eyes.

Aurora smiled at her bashfulness, tracing a finger along the bottom of Maleficent's lip.

"Last night?" she probed.

Maleficent shook her head. Her horns drew Aurora's attention and she reached up with one hand, dragging her nails across the texture. She gazed into Maleficent's eyes, awaiting an answer.

"In the castle," Maleficent said softly.

Aurora's heart pounded in sudden realization. She gripped Maleficent's horn tighter in response, cheeks flushing brightly.

"I knew it," she half whispered, dragging her fingers softly through her hair and down the back of her neck.

"You did?" Maleficent blinked, surprised.

Aurora didn't answer. Instead, she inclined her head and lightly pressed her lips into Maleficent's. The woman shuddered at her touch, exhaling into Aurora's lips shakily. Aurora felt her thumb trail soft circles against her waist, exploring the smooth expanse of skin. It tickled, sending waves of heat down her legs and into her stomach.

She closed her lips over Maleficent's again, her thumb kneading the top of her pointed ear. She swiped the tip of her tongue along the bottom of her lip, wanting to taste her. Maleficent groaned into her mouth and gripped onto her waist with both hands. She lowered her wings away from her breasts and wrapped them tightly around the front of her legs instead, tickling Aurora's thighs with the movement.

Aurora's heart thundered in her chest as Maleficent pulled her close, impossibly close. She felt the softness of her breasts smoothing against her own but she couldn't look. Maleficent's lips bade all of her attention. She stifled a groan as Maleficent's tongue swept across her own, venturing into her mouth with a tenderness that set Aurora's entire body alight. Her tongue was long and powerful, pressing forcefully against her own. Aurora became excruciatingly dizzy, feeling as though she were falling backward.

Maleficent's hands slid further down the sides of her body and took hold of her hips, gaining more and more confidence with each minute that passed. Aurora sighed, reveling in the way Maleficent's fingers slid back and forth across her hip bones. She was surprised when she lowered her wings further still, letting go of her hips long enough to guide Aurora's hands to her own hips instead.

She pulled away from their kiss briefly, gazing into Aurora's eyes with a strangely pleading look. Aurora allowed her to guide her hands softly down the sides of her waist in the same way she had felt her. Her hands fell into place and she grasped at the skin, breathing heavily.

Maleficent's hips were textured and rigid like her horns. It was unexpected, although not strange. Aurora drew her nails across them and was surprised when Maleficent caught the back of her head and reeled her in for another kiss, somehow even deeper and more aggressive than the previous one.

Her lips trailed along the bottom of her jaw and down her neck, finding a pulse. She slid Aurora's ribbon up a ways and sucked at her neck gently, dropping her hand to Aurora's lower back to explore further. Aurora could barely breathe around the light gasps and groans Maleficent elicited. She groped Maleficent's waist harder and moved upwards across her belly button and toned stomach, brushing with her nails here and there when Maleficent suctioned onto a more sensitive area.

Aurora reached further up still, sliding the palms of her hands silkily along Maleficent's ribcage. She just grazed the edges of her breasts and Maleficent froze for a moment, inhaling deeply. When Aurora continued upward, brushing her nipples and cupping her hands softly against her breasts, she exhaled again and continued to trail kisses back up Aurora's jaw line.

Aurora did the same for Maleficent, taking her hands in her own and guiding them across her her skin and under the scraps of leather that were now floating away from her body lazily, not quite attached. Maleficent paused, shivering, as her palms came in contact with the smoothness of Aurora's breasts. She traced her fingers over them carefully, palming at them softly and then lightly pinching at one of Aurora's nipples. It was then that Aurora realized she was feeling for differences between them.

"Don't be afraid," Aurora almost whispered. "I don't have any extra sets of teeth or anything," she laughed softly.

"Neither do I," Maleficent smirked. "But you are different," she admitted shyly, taking Aurora's hands in her own again and bringing them around her sides to hug her around the waist.

Aurora's fingers came in contact with Maleficent's spine, which was also rigid at the base, scaly even. Aurora felt the urge to drag her nails across it as well, as she did with Maleficent's hips and horns. The texture was somehow alluring. Maleficent groaned, burying her face into the side of Aurora's neck again and giving her nipple a final tug before sliding her hands back down to her abdomen.

Aurora pulled her closer, hugging her tightly around her waist before dropping her hands to rest on Maleficent's wings where they remained wrapped across her front, still preventing the two from fully touching. Aurora frowned at them, rubbing her fingers along the powerful muscles and slick feathers.

Maleficent bit her neck at that moment and she gasped, wincing. Maleficent instantly ran the tip of her tongue along the bruise to soothe her.

"I'm sorry," she panted, her voice shaking.

"I liked it," Aurora responded, and she felt Maleficent shudder at her words. "Why are you trembling?" she asked. Her voice came out a lot more smooth and in control than she felt. Her own heart was pounding so hard in her chest she felt as though she could die from it at any moment. She was still incredibly faint, feverish even.

"Because I am shy," Maleficent finally admitted, letting out a frustrating growl. "I never thought I'd find myself in this... predicament with you."

Aurora laughed, reaching up and stroking one of Maleficent's horns. "I did. I thought about it all the time. I'd dream about you kissing me. Holding me." She paused, drifting her fingers back down to Maleficent's perfect ears. "Pinning me with your body." she went on, blushing. Maleficent tensed, burying her face into the side of Aurora's neck again.

"For how long?" she wondered, voice slightly muffled.

"As long as I can remember," Aurora admitted. "You were always so strong and beautiful. My feelings just... progressed from wanting to be like you, to wanting to be with you."

Maleficent groped her hips harder at her words.

"Now that you are, is it everything you imagined?" Her voice was low and sultry, gaining some of its strength back. She slid her fingers further down the front of Aurora's body, waving away stray scraps of wet leather where they barely clung onto Aurora's skin.

Aurora's breath caught in her throat as Maleficent slid the palm of her hand around to Aurora's front, tickling the skin between her hip and pelvis.

"My imagination cannot even compare," she breathed. She felt Maleficent smile into her neck before turning her head into another kiss. Her lips and tongue were powerful and enduring, but her hands were slow and unsure as they crept slowly across Aurora's thighs. She would pause and squeeze at her muscles for a moment before inching along, eventually pressing between Aurora's legs.

She froze briefly before she continued to slowly explore, sliding her palm gently up and down her, fingertips carefully grazing the lips and folds she found there. Aurora grabbed her wrist to steady her shaking hand, holding herself fully against Maleficent's digits.

Maleficent pulled out if their kiss suddenly, eyes sharp and probing. She glanced down at where their hips met, a trace of red in her cheeks. She met Aurora's gaze again, a hint of panic in her eyes. Aurora could practically feel her heartbeat thudding away where their bellies touched.

"It's okay," Aurora encouraged. But Maleficent still looked terrified. Aurora pulled her into another tight embrace, running her fingers gently across the base of her spine. She continued further down, sliding her fingers along the curve of Maleficent's bottom, eliciting a quivering breath from the woman. She continued along the outsides of her thighs, shifting Maleficent's wings away as she went, slowly unravelling her.

She tickled the fronts of her thighs with her fingertips as Maleficent had done, taking pleasure in the soft moan she procured. Her fingers crept further inward, then came to an abrupt halt as they brushed something firm and foreign, something she hadn't expected in the least.

Her eyes shot back up to Maleficent's, whose face had gone rigid at Aurora's touch. Her eyes were pleading and scared.

"I'm sorry," she whispered, looking down at herself again. "I'm not like you," she lamented, leaning forward and touching her forehead to Aurora's.

Aurora clasped her hip roughly with one hand, forcing her to meet her gaze again. "There is nothing to apologize for."

She traced the bottom of her chin with a finger, kissing softly at her lower lip. Maleficent pulled suddenly away, looking past Aurora and across the pool. Aurora turned as well, following her gaze.

The girl in the white, hooded coat stood at the edge of the pool, a large leather canteen held at arm's length in front of her. Her hood was still up, but Aurora could spot long, trailing curls of silvery blue hair whipping around her jaw in the misty breeze. Some strange, metal mask hid her mouth and eyes from them. Beams of blue light shot out of the metal and glinted off the surface of the water.

The girl glanced up at them and balked, taking a small step away from the pool. She slowly emptied her canteen back out into the water before pocketing it and stalking away sullenly.

"Hmm," Maleficent hummed. "I sometimes forget we aren't always alone here."

Aurora suddenly burst out laughing, the hardest she had in a long time. "I think we're beginning to wrinkle anyway", she carried on, pulling Maleficent against her in her fit of laughter.


	5. Elysium

_Got the day off from work and spent it writing this long ass piece for you guys. Loved writing it, hope you like reading it! I'm also going to be busy for the next few days so I thought this would be enough to keep you guys entertained. Enjoy, and thanks for reading!_

_-DB_

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Maleficent struggled to chase after Aurora, one hand cupped over her privates and her left wing plastered to the front of her body. Aurora galloped ahead of her, turning around to face Maleficent as she went. She was naked as on the day she was born, with only a few remaining coils of vine hanging loosely from her wrist and ankles.

"Watch where you're running, you're going to fall and cave your pretty skull in," Maleficent warned her, scowling. She gripped her wing even closer across her front when she spotted Aurora's eyes wandering there.

The girl laughed and purposefully fell into the sand. It flew up around her like flour, coating her in the thin, white powder. Maleficent coasted to a halt, cheeks tinged pink and huffing slightly. She drew her other hand up over her breasts as she stood over Aurora attempting to catch her breath. It hadn't been easy to run in her current state. Her wings felt like more of a burden than a gift when not being used properly.

She had considered gathering her robes from the pool. Not only would they have been soaking, but she didn't much like the idea of bending over and fishing around in the water with Aurora's eyes latched onto her the way they had been.

Aurora scooped up a handful of the sand, balling it into a firm projectile in her still-wet hands.

"Don't-" Maleficent warned, holding a hand slightly out in front of her and inclining her head, eyes squinting.

The handful exploded onto her face and hair with a soft plop. She glanced back up at the girl, trying her best to scowl and failing miserably.

Aurora burst out laughing. "You look like my aunts after they've tried baking a cake," she snickered.

"Don't ever compare me to them again," Maleficent threatened, wrinkling her nose in distaste. "I am legitimately disgusted right now," she continued to joke, attempting to wipe the sand from her brow with the back of her arm. When she glanced back up at the girl, she was crouched on her knees and stroking at the sand idly, her eyes trailing up and down Maleficent's bare thighs. Maleficent fought the urge to assault her where she lay.

"You're nothing like them," Aurora comforted her, eyes focused and unwavering.

Maleficent's legs nearly gave out under the intense scrutiny. She dropped to her knees as well, folding her wings about her bottom half and exposing her breasts again. The breeze was warm and pleasant on her skin. Aurora's eyes flitted to them as expected, and Maleficent felt some relief for her lower regions, loosening her grip there.

"I really like it here," Aurora said in an unusually low voice. "But is there any way we can make this into a more private location?"

Maleficent's face burned, and she looked around at the vast, unpopulated expanse around them. She knew Aurora was referring to the strange girl that wandered into them at the pool. She laughed openly at the situation.

"I don't think she'll be around here again for a long while after that," Maleficent assured. "But if privacy is what you wish, I'll be more than happy to accommodate."

She cracked her knuckles and glanced around the vicinity. An impressive amount of gold and green vapor snaked out around her and pooled beneath them. She leaned forward, sinking her hands into the soft sand and gripping some of it into her hands. It hardened at her touch and initiated a chain reaction that enveloped all of the surrounding sand.

Flat, white rocks like those at the pool shifted out of the sand under them, lifting them carefully up. The sand flew up around them in tiny particles, spiraling and hardening as they went, fabricating enormous, winding trees that looked similar to Maleficent's horns. Tufts of fuzzy, coral-pink moss blossomed along the surface of the rocks and trunks, spreading higher up into the tree branches where they matured into hanging flowers. They shifted in the breeze, smelling of the moors.

As the rocks accelerated higher, the portion just beneath them buckled and sank slightly, dipping to create a small, nest-like dome out of the biome.

Aurora stood and raced to the edge, gripping onto a rock to glance down at the world below. Maleficent stalled her creation long enough to take in the breathtaking sight of Aurora's backside, hair rippling across her shoulders in the soft currents of air.

The remaining sand cascaded back down around them, blanketing the rocks in a layer of fine powder.

"Wow," Aurora breathed, her eyes trailing back up to the black sky, fascinated by the violence of the stars that tore into each other there. "How do you come up with this?"

Maleficent shrugged, withdrawing her hands from the pockets of sand. "Spur of the moment. I'm sure it would be quite difficult to get a peek at us all the way up here", Maleficent chuckled. "And we get to continue enjoying this view."

"Did you make them as well?" Aurora questioned, pointing high above her head at the stars, fully entranced. Maleficent's cheeks burned at how naturally Aurora dealt with being so completely naked in front of her. Maleficent's eyes had been trained to dodge her privates and she felt increasingly guilty each time she found her gaze being drawn there.

"Unfortunately no. This place is relatively untouched by my magic."

"How can you tell if it's night or day?"

"There is no passage of time, here."

Aurora lowered her gaze again, locking onto Maleficent with her piercing, icy orbs. She strode slowly toward her, brushing a lock of her curls out of her face. They were almost fully dry, now, coiled into perfect springy ringlets.

"So..." she trailed off, grazing a finger against her chin in thought as she closed in on Maleficent. "I could spend an eternity here, savoring every moment with you, and not a second would pass?"

Maleficent's face flared again. "I'm not certain how it works. But when we return to the moors, it will be as though no time has passed. Yes, we could stay her for a long time... if that is what you wish."

Aurora lowered onto her knees facing Maleficent, twitching her fingers along the tips of her wings. Her cheeks looked as pink as Maleficent's felt.

"That's good." She pried one of Maleficent's wings briskly away in order to sidle up against her. Maleficent snapped her hands back over herself in an instant, heart pounding. She was suddenly hyper aware of how Aurora's inner thigh brushed the outside of her own. She watched, paralyzed, as the girl hooked her legs along either side of Maleficent's and leaned into her, resting her forehead against Maleficent's.

"Why is that?" Maleficent asked, her voice barely above a whisper. She was captivated by those icy orbs, and the fiery sky that reflected off of them.

"Because I'm going to need you for a very long time," she explained, staring unblinkingly into Maleficent's stunned eyes. "Right now," she stressed. It felt as though Maleficent's loins caught fire in that instant, and she suddenly had an excruciatingly hard time concealing herself from Aurora.

Aurora hadn't noticed. If at all possible, her gaze intensified as she reached up and stroked at Maleficent's long, trailing hair and toyed with it where it met with her shoulders. Maleficent hummed quietly at the attention, resting her eyes and leaning into her touch. Her own hands shot to their favorite place along Aurora's hips of their own free will. The cool air tickled Maleficent's lower regions and she tensed, realizing exactly how close Aurora was to touching her there. It stiffened further, almost painfully so, curving up and against her own thigh. It felt as though her heart had relocated to the pit of her stomach.

She cleared her throat, lowering her eyes timidly to further evaluate the distance between her and Aurora. Aurora clenched at a fistful of her hair at that moment and gently guided her neck to an angle, running her lower lip along Maleficent's ear lobe. Maleficent jumped at her boldness, eyes flashing open. They fluttered shut again almost instantaneously as Aurora sucked the lobe into her mouth and gently pulled at it with her teeth.

Maleficent instinctively clamped her thighs together in an attempt to soothe the fire that was raging there. Aurora slid slightly backward, landing her bottom onto the pillowy sand. She dragged Maleficent down with her, her hand still lightly entwined in her hair, grasping at the back of her neck. She gave Maleficent's ear one more tender lick before pulling away and smiling at her. Her eyes never wandered from Maleficent's.

She slid further down into the sand and underneath her, thighs still clamped tightly against the outsides of Maleficent's.

Maleficent shivered at the sight, heart pounding. She slid her hands up Aurora's sides and ran the tips of her fingers along the underside of her arms. She grasped at Aurora's free hand, pinning it alongside her head and gazing piercingly into her eyes. Aurora continued to play with her hair where it hung past her shoulder now.

"Is this how you imagined me pinning you?" Maleficent breathed. Aurora smiled again, that impish gleam returning to her eyes. She dropped her hand to wrap around Maleficent's lower back, tugging her firmly against her and clasping her legs against her tighter still, preventing Maleficent from flinching away.

A rush of air escaped Maleficent's lips as she pressed against Aurora's inner thigh. Her body gave an involuntary twitch at the movement. She could practically feel Aurora's heartbeat thundering away at the place where their bellies touched.

"More like this," Aurora panted. The sound enticed Maleficent. She stretched her wings out on either side of them, blanketing them in the soft, windswept feathers. Her lips were on Aurora's in a heartbeat.

Aurora expelled little wafts of air in between kisses, intertwining her fingers with Maleficent's where she pinned her hand. Her soft sighs and quivers spurred Maleficent, and she drove her tongue against Aurora's, squeezing her hand tighter. She braced herself against the earth with her other arm, pressing it against Aurora's shoulder as she kissed her deeply.

Aurora snaked her hand around Maleficent's front, gently stroking up and down along the side of her ribs and breasts, drawing her nails across flesh and groaning softly each time Maleficent's tongue slipped against hers. The sounds dizzied Maleficent. All she could focus on were Aurora's labored breaths, her fingers scraping at her skin, the way she lightly squirmed underneath her, thigh sliding ever so slightly against her unique appendage.

She pulled out of their kiss and tucked her face into Aurora's collarbone, mindful of her horns as she ran her lips across the exposed flesh she found there. She breathed deep, head whirling as she inhaled Aurora's scent. Aurora continued to squirm underneath her, gripping Maleficent's hip roughly in one hand. She caught Maleficent's eyes with a strangely pleading look, eyebrows knitted in frustration.

Maleficent kissed her softly on the side of her jaw apologetically. Aurora only let out a low groan before guiding Maleficent's hand further down and in between them. She pushed Maleficent's hand up against her insistently, almost urgently.

Maleficent trembled as she grazed Aurora with the palm of her hand, shocked with how wet Aurora was there. She glanced down in between their bodies apprehensively.

"Are you okay?"

Aurora squirmed some more, jerking her hips into Maleficent's. "No," she ground out in clear distress. "I mean yes," she corrected shortly after, still struggling not to squirm.

Maleficent sat up a bit, glancing down at the source of Aurora's unease again, an eyebrow raised. "What's wrong? Did I hurt you?" Maleficent had never seen her beastie in so much apparent turmoil in her life.

"No," Aurora nearly growled. The sound caused Maleficent's skin to prickle. Whether out of fear or infatuation, she wasn't entirely sure. She lowered her head to softly kiss at Aurora's belly, rubbing slow, comforting circles into her side with her thumb.

She felt Aurora's hand shakily grab at the base of her horn. The other joined it shortly afterward to stroke at her hair.

"Ah," she ground out, a pang of sadness in her voice. Maleficent's heart ached at the sound, unsure of what she was doing wrong.

"Kiss me," Aurora begged. Maleficent glanced up at her in confusion. "There-" Aurora motioned downward. "Down there." Her cheeks flared a bright pink at the request. Maleficent flushed as well, a small smirk on her lips. Aurora's legs eased away from Maleficent's, falling softly open.

Maleficent made her way carefully down, grazing her lips across Aurora's heated skin as she went. She reveled in the way Aurora pet at her horn, almost as though she were using it to steady her own jerky movements and shaking hands.

Aurora was excruciatingly hot where Maleficent grazed her lips. She kissed her tenderly at first. The taste and scent she found there was nothing like she had expected. She felt blinded by it, suddenly consumed by an overpowering desire to drag her tongue across it. She glanced back up at Aurora, unsure of what her reaction would be. She already appeared quite distracted, however, gripping at Maleficent's hair with one hand and burying the other somewhere in the sand next to her body. The muscles in her arms tensed when she met Maleficent's gaze, eyes nearly watering.

Maleficent lowered her head again, deciding to be brave. She kissed her softly, ears twitching at the shuddering breath Aurora expelled. She parted her lips then, gently gliding the tip of her tongue against Aurora's lips. Maleficent shot back up at the sharp, stifled cry Aurora emitted.

"Are you alright?" Maleficent asked again, but Aurora only groped the base of her horn, redirecting Maleficent's attention yet again. Maleficent grew painfully hard at the commanding gesture. Heat came off of her in waves as she decidedly buried her face in between Aurora's legs. She ran her tongue along Aurora's slit again and again, shivering at the soft whimpers she elicited.

She grabbed at Aurora's thighs in her intensity, dipping her tongue deep inside her before swiping it back up again. The taste was mind numbing, and she couldn't help but want more. Aurora's breaths had become labored as she continuously pushed her tongue inside of her, swirling it around. She sucked gently at the skin above her opening, ears twitching at the sound of Aurora's cries. Her eyes snapped open in surprise as Aurora bucked her hips slightly, bumping her.

"Do you want me to stop?" she asked, finding it increasingly difficult to read Aurora's body language. It was as if she were experiencing bliss and torture at the same time.

Aurora shook her head, curling her fingers under Maleficent's chin. She drew her up to kiss her again, driving her tongue against Maleficent's in a dizzying passion.

Aurora dropped her hands to grip at her waist again, still lightly bucking her hips. She made it incredibly difficult to ignore the agonizingly hard member that lay pressed against her there. Maleficent became hot and dizzy, mind going blank as she explored Aurora's mouth with her tongue, hands on either side of her shoulders.

She ground herself against Aurora, eyes fluttering shut at the feeling. She slicked back and forth over her still-wet opening, marveling at the electrifying sensation and the way Aurora's gasps caught in her throat, muffled around their kiss. She wondered briefly if she would fit. The thought flitted away as Maleficent's body acted on its own, pressing her tip gently into Aurora.

Aurora suddenly clenched her legs around Maleficent's waist, inhaling sharply. Maleficent froze at the sound and attempted to pull away, but Aurora gripped her backside and shook her head, deepening their kiss.

Maleficent shuddered as she continued to ease into her. She was painfully tight, and the logical side of Maleficent's brain was screaming at her not to break her precious beastie. Her primal side was screaming just as loudly for thinking too much. Aurora was panting hard, clearly pained, though she continued to guide Maleficent by her hips. She bit down on Maleficent's lower lip in an attempt to stifle a cry. Maleficent attempted to pull out several times only to meet resistance on Aurora's end.

Her heart was hammering out of control, half overwhelmed by the intense pain and pleasure of the act, half delirious that she was somehow killing her. After a long moment she finally managed to push herself in up to her base and she stopped, exhausted by the endeavor. It pulsed deep inside her as though it had its own heartbeat, matching the thudding in Maleficent's ears.

Aurora lay panting into her neck, momentarily winded. Maleficent could feel her walls clenching and unclenching around her, slowly adjusting to Maleficent's size. The resulting pleasure was unreal. Maleficent staggered, dropping her forehead to rest on Aurora's. White, popping spots invaded her vision as though she'd been struck dumb. All she could process in that moment was Aurora's fierce gaze, her slightly parted lips, her laden breaths.

Aurora clenched around her again and Maleficent twitched instinctively, bucking lightly into Aurora and grimacing at the pained expression in her eyes.

"I'm sorry," Maleficent gasped, holding as still as she could in fear of hurting her more.

"No," Aurora shuddered, reaching up and stroking her sharp cheekbone. Her hand shook. "It feels better that way." She tensed her muscles again, closing around Maleficent forcibly. She bucked into her again, heart exploding in her chest at the soft whimper that escaped Aurora.

She sighed, leaning down and gently kissing at Aurora's neck. She cradled her head in her palm, gliding her fingers through her hair as she pushed softly into her. Aurora gripped her hips and smoothed the tips of her fingers over the ridged skin there, guiding Maleficent's movements. Maleficent complied, rocking into her forcefully and nipping at her neck. Aurora's soft gasps and moans urged her on.

She lifted Aurora further into her lap, falling into a steady, rhythmic thrusting that had Aurora practically clawing at her skin and emitting small cries of bliss. Maleficent chewed and sucked at Aurora's neck in an effort to stifle her own sounds. Her eyes watered at the sheer pressure on her member. It was ceaseless, and she wondered if it was just as excruciating for Aurora.

Her wings flapped once at her sides as she drove into her harder, completely losing herself and all awareness of anything else that existed outside of her and Aurora, their sounds and their slick skin. With every thrust she was finding little angles and levels of depth that caused Aurora to cry out louder or clench around her harder. All the while a fire raged in her loins, becoming increasingly hot as they carried on.

Maleficent gradually slowed, but deepened her thrusts, pushing herself to the very limits of Aurora's insides and remaining there for several seconds at a time. She could have fainted at the mere sound of Aurora's shuddering cries. She gave the side of her neck one long swipe with her tongue, quivering uncontrollably at the pulsing currents that wracked her entire lower body.

"Aura," she shivered, pressing deeply into her again, slowly grinding her hips against her. Aurora's eyes flitted upward, gazing back at her heatedly. She squeezed at her thigh softly, releasing a small puff of air. "It might be a little late to tell you this," she spoke softly, "But I love you. With all my heart."

Aurora visibly unravelled at her words, smiling openly and gliding her fingers along Maleficent's jaw. "I love you too. I always will", she promised. She closed her eyes and groaned as Maleficent ground into her with another forceful push and held it there for Aurora to clamp around. "And I swear this enchanting moment isn't influencing my judgement in any way." she smirked.

"I can't tell if that was a compliment or not," Maleficent huffed, cheeks flushed. She pushed into Aurora harder. A new wave of slickness formed inside of Aurora.

"It was," she gasped, raking her nails along Maleficent's hips. Maleficent jolted into her harder, biting her lip. Aurora moaned against her lips, inflaming her desire for the girl. Maleficent nearly pulled all the way out before rushing back into her again and again, head spinning with pleasure. Smooth, slippery fluid continued to accumulate each time she pulled out, guiding her passage back in with ease.

Aurora's insides were molten hot. She turned her head to the side, crying out in ragged breaths, shaking under Maleficent's sturdy wings. Maleficent sank into her further, lightly beating her wings at the air around them.

"Just a little," Aurora panted, out of air. "A little further in," she requested shyly.

Maleficent raised her eyebrow, smirking. She obliged by sliding one of Aurora's legs up and over her own, allowing her room to press herself flush against her. She leaned over her again, kissing at her shoulder and gripping her fingers in one hand.

She put all of her weight into her thrusts, piercing deeper than she thought physically possible. She felt her tip nudge something smooth and round, far inside of her. Aurora cried out, jerking unexpectedly and clasping hard onto Maleficent's hand. Maleficent hit it again, pressing herself fully into her and holding, muscles tensing involuntarily as Aurora contracted against her. Her final throes clenched around Maleficent powerfully, finally allowing her own release. The fire that had been ravishing her relinquished its hold in one, curiously wet, blissful moment.


	6. Absence

_Some answers to some questions! Yes, there will be more smut. I like smut. Yes, Aurora lives in the moors. Is she queen of the human world? Honestly I couldn't give a damn. I moved them out of that setting ASAP because it was already being done a thousand times. Yes, this story is a bit of an AU. The origins are the same as the movie, the direction I'm taking it is totally elsewhere. Again, I am using this story to get back into my own world again, and it's really helping me do that. Maleficent is not a man. She is just not human. What's wrong with Maleficent? You'll have to wait and see!_

_Also, sorry about the tiny update. I knew I wouldn't be able to write much this week so I wanted to give a glimpse as to where I was going with it. I won't jump ahead like that anymore, promise. Here is the revised chapter._

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Aurora shook under Maleficent, the cool breeze nipping at her damp skin. Her muscles trembled, relieved of their constant flexing and writhing. Maleficent staggered above her, collapsing onto her side behind her and hiding her face against Aurora's neck, her horns brushing her hair lightly.

Aurora's insides throbbed around Maleficent where she remained buried there, twitching with every little movement and shudder. Maleficent lay quietly behind her, releasing tiny breaths of air and still gripping Aurora's fingers in her hand.

A strange, mournful howl echoed across the landscape somewhere far away from them. Aurora turned her head slightly toward the sound, once again aware of the strange world around them.

"What was that?" she asked, raising their hands to her lips.

Maleficent shook her head softly. "I don't know."

Aurora stared up into the sky again, stroking her lips along Maleficent's knuckles, taking in all of the sights and sounds around her.

Maleficent sat up a little and attempted to slide out of Aurora. Her insides pulled against her bizarrely, suctioning onto her briefly. Maleficent let out an unexpected, stifled cry at the jerking sensation. Aurora's heart pounded in fear. She quickly turned onto her back and grasped at Maleficent's waist.

"Mal," she cried. The pained look on Maleficent's face caught her off guard. There came an intense scorching sensation as Maleficent pulled away again, grimacing. Maleficent buckled from the pain. "Mal!" Aurora cried again. But Maleficent couldn't answer. She hunched over Aurora, breathing labored. She gave one final tug before sliding free, shuddering in agony. Gold and blue wisps of magic surged out from in between them, dispersing into the air.

It felt as though something sharp grazed Aurora on the way out, but the pain was momentary. She grasped onto Maleficent in an instant, pressing her forehead to hers and gently urging her to look into her eyes.

"Mal, please!" she begged. Maleficent clutched at her lower abdomen for a long moment, panting heavily.

"I'm okay, beastie." She finally assured, reaching up and giving Aurora's arm a light squeeze, still hovering over her closely. Her cheeks flushed, smiling lightly. "You're absolutely adorable, fretting over me like that," she said softly, pulling her into a warm embrace.

"What happened?" Aurora held her at arm's length, scrutinizing Maleficent's body, looking for any visible wounds. "Are you okay?"

Maleficent beamed at her dazedly. "Hmm, quite." she chuckled, brushing Aurora's cheek with her thumb. "This is normal for us," she soothed, then paused. "Though I hadn't imagined it would be quite like that," she admitted. She frowned at the puzzled look Aurora wore. She tucked her arms around Aurora's waist, brushing her belly against hers softly.

Aurora finally allowed herself to relax, giving into Maleficent's soothing touch. Her insides ached and throbbed, but her heart had become lightweight, her head dizzied. The bed of sand and fuzzy moss felt as though it were moving slightly beneath her. She hummed, closing her eyes at the strange sensation. She savored the quietness around her, the gentle thrum of Maleficent's heartbeat against her belly, the way her long tresses tickled at her neck.

Maleficent jerked unexpectedly, pulling slightly away from Aurora where they lay. Aurora's eyes eased open as though coming out of a deep sleep and she hummed, glancing up at the horned woman. She had sat up and was staring around at the earth beneath them, trailing careful fingers through the sand.

"Feels like we're moving," Aurora said softly.

Maleficent clutched at the sand and closed her eyes briefly. A small amount of gold radiated from her hand and quickly dispersed, flitting into the breeze as little particles of light. She flicked her eyes around at the earth, the air, her hands, and then to Aurora's eyes. She looked strangely afraid and confused.

"Aura, we need to get down from here now."

She pulled at Aurora's arm and shoulder, quickly wrenching her up and away from the ground as the rocks began to grate and splinter around them. The soft sand shifted underneath them, fast disappearing into the cracks that formed. Aurora let out a muffled gasp as Maleficent grabbed her up from behind her legs, scooping her into her arms.

"What's going on?" she shouted, terrified.

Maleficent brandished her wings, beating at the air around them powerfully. Dust from the sand and crushing rocks wafted into them and blinded Aurora. She coughed, grasping onto Maleficent's neck and shoulders tightly. They were suddenly airborne, pushing off from the edge of the cliff with an urgency that dizzied her. Her heart plummeted into her stomach each time Maleficent lifted her wings, then fluttered painfully on their way back down. It was an intensely nauseating experience.

Maleficent panted hard into her neck, stressing to keep them airborne. Aurora grimaced; there was something wrong with Maleficent. She looked tired, even weak. She only wished for them to be back on the ground, and soon.

"Almost there, beastie," she promised, as though she were suddenly able to read her mind.

The ground came into view soon after. Maleficent clutched Aurora to her carefully before dropping into the soft sand with a lurch. She fell to one knee, letting go of Aurora and breathing hard. She lifted a hand to glance at it, turning it over and around in a quick inspection. Her eyes flashed to Aurora, eyebrows knit.

"I can't..." Her lip shook and she averted her eyes. Aurora dropped to her knees in front of her and wrenched her into a tight hug. "Aura, it's gone. My power is gone." A sob broke from her lips. Aurora's heart shattered at the distressing sound. She cradled her head against her, stroking along her jaw and neck. She didn't understand. She wasn't sure what she could even do, or how she could help. Simply holding her as she cried was torturous. Her mind dug up images of Maleficent alone and trapped, circled by men with iron shields. She had been just as powerless to help her then.

Aurora pressed into her, kissing her softly on the brow. "I don't understand what's happening. But it'll be okay, won't it? Your powers... Will they come back?"

Maleficent glanced up at her with her radiant eyes. The blues in them shifted, curiously bright in the dark. They had never flashed that way before. Aurora had seen the green, the gold...

Maleficent blinked slowly, seemingly deep in thought. "Yes... I will be okay." Her eyes trailed down to her own abdomen, then back up to Aurora. She smiled softly, grazing her fingers through Aurora's hair. "We'll be okay," she corrected. "My mother told me this would happen one day. Just not...all the details."

Another long, mournful howl resounded across the land, much more piercing than the first. It rattled off in the distance, just beyond the whipping sands. Aurora gripped Maleficent's shoulder, wincing against her. Maleficent fell silent and painfully alert, twitching her ears against the wind.

"Mal," Aurora whispered, so quiet that the wind had almost drowned her out. "I'm scared."

Maleficent pressed a finger to her lips softly, lowering Aurora into the sand. She joined her, pressing her belly onto the sand and flattening her wings out over them. She squinted into the skyline, more focused than Aurora had ever seen. Aurora watched, too. She remained perfectly still and silent as directed, though her heartbeat thrummed rapidly in her chest, fearful of what could make Maleficent so wary.

A small, spiraling cyclone materialized in the distance. It rotated in place, impossibly slow as though somehow bending the flow of time. It was eerily quiet. The whipping winds had ground to a halt around them as the anomaly entered their vicinity.

Aurora held her breath, eyes watering in the intensity of her gaze, too afraid to blink or look away. She gripped Maleficent's hand. As it came closer, she could make out the silhouette of a hunched, shadowy being. The powder sand whipped around at its feet as it trudged slowly along.

Aurora let out a low, quiet breath, unable to hold it in any longer. She groped at Maleficent's hand harder, relieved when she received a light squeeze in return. She stared in awe as the thing paused, turning around where it stood and craning its neck up toward the sky, emitting a loud, gravelly cry. The small hairs on the back of Aurora's neck stood on end. It staggered backward, disappearing against the skyline once again.

Aurora glanced sidelong at Maleficent. Her eyes were focused, lips pursed, palm sweaty.

"Aura." She spoke softly, but with a seriousness Aurora hadn't heard since Maleficent first spoke of the evil that existed in the world. "My powers are gone. We can't leave this place. I need you to be strong, can you do that?"

Aurora nodded. But she didn't feel strong. What could she do? She was only human.

"I've never been afraid of this place until now," Maleficent admitted in a low voice. She continued to stare into the distance, jaw clenched. "There never was anything I could not deal with. That has changed. Do you understand?"

Aurora nodded again. "What do we do?"

"We need to find a safe place."

Aurora's eyes lit up. "What about your home?"

Maleficent shook her head. "It will have vanished by now, just as our little love nest over there collapsed," she motioned toward the rubble from which they came. Aurora fought the urge to smirk at her use of words.

Maleficent glanced at her from the corner of her eye, a mischievous glint there. Aurora smiled openly, careful not to laugh.

"It's strange," Aurora whispered.

"What is?"

Aurora smiled again, hiding it behind trembling fingers. "Strange that we are so quiet now, when it was quite the opposite just moments ago."

Maleficent's cheeks burned brightly, lips twitching into a smile. "I've never been so aroused and terrified as I am right now," she whispered, reaching out and brushing the soft ringlets from Aurora's eyes. Aurora's heart pounded at her words. She could have drowned in those scorching, prismatic eyes.

Maleficent pushed off from the ground, bashfully lowering her eyes. "Come, now. I think I may know of a place where we can be safe."


	7. Descent

A sea of glittering, star white dunes stretched out ahead of Maleficent. She strode hesitantly into the expanse, peeking back at Aurora where she trailed behind her, clutching at her hand. The world seemed to go on forever around them. What had once seemed a heavenly place had fast turned into an endless, nightmarish landscape.

Maleficent had come into contact with the strange shadows before, and although she had been deeply disturbed by their gruesome appearance, she had never been afraid. The moors had always been a portal away. Home was always within reach. Not now.

She glanced down at her belly as she walked, stroking at it with a gentleness she had previously only graced Aurora with. She smiled lightly at the blue radiance that answered her touch, squeezing at Aurora's fingers.

She was nearly comfortable with walking around entirely unconcealed. The breeze felt good on her body, and she no longer had anything to hide from Aurora. She could practically feel Aurora's eyes on her backside, however, and her inexcusable shyness always seemed to show up uninvited in that regard.

"What are we looking for, Mal?" Her beastie's voice graced her ears and she smiled all the more brightly, turning to face her. Aurora looked taken aback at how at ease Maleficent appeared, but smiled in turn. Maleficent blanked, drawing her eyes across Aurora's sharp jaw and curved nose. She lingered on her lips, still firm and swollen from all the attention they had gotten earlier that day. She shook her head dazedly, breaking the enchantment.

"They would look like the unearthed roots of the great trees in the moors," she said softly, pointing off into the distance. "I'm not entirely sure where they are at, but I've never had to walk long in any direction before eventually finding some."

"We'll be safe near them?"

"We at least won't be out in the open," Maleficent soothed. She turned to face ahead again, stumbling as her foot caught something twisted and rough. Aurora leapt forward and caught her, tripping on a heavy wing in the process.

Maleficent lurched forward in her arms, struggling to stifle a small laugh. "Beastie, I had no idea you were so quick on your feet," she played, turning to face the young woman. She wore an uneasy frown, concern etched into her soft features.

"You're scaring me," she finally confessed, squeezing her arm.

"Nonsense," Maleficent waved off. She tilted her head, studying Aurora. Her eyes were daring. "I can't scare you. Trust me, I've tried." She pecked Aurora on the cheek. The girl furrowed her eyebrows in response, unmoved.

"You know that's not what I meant," she pouted. Her eyes darted to their bare feet. "Are those the roots?"

White, gnarled extrusions broke the earth's surface, barely visible beneath the sifting sands. Maleficent crouched low, grazing her fingertips on them.

"They're a bit..." she murmured. "Well... buried." She grimaced, getting to her feet again.

"Maybe we can find some more," Aurora suggested, hopeful. Maleficent took her hand again, leading her further into the expanse. Maleficent felt eerily cold next to Aurora's warmth. She tilted her head, nuzzling her horn alongside Aurora's head.

Her foot sank in that instant. The sand fell away from beneath them, spilling down into the deep earth below. She flared her wings, lifting Aurora up by one hand and pulling her into a tight embrace. A small hole emerged, sipping at the sand as though through the belly of an hourglass. Maleficent pumped her wings, backing away from it as it grew in size. The roots, cream-colored beneath the surface, weaved into each other deep within the gaping maw that formed. They created a vast, tangled network that vanished into the very bowels of the earth.

Maleficent lowered Aurora to the ground at the edge of a massive root. Her wings continued to beat at the air, spraying the sand in all directions and revealing more of the roots below. Aurora crouched low, shielding her eyes from the dust and gripping onto the rough branches tightly.

Maleficent slumped onto the extrusion alongside her, exhaling a deep breath.

"This is exactly what I was looking for." She crossed one arm over the other as she gazed down into the abyss, lips pursed.

Aurora lifted an eyebrow. "It looks monstrous down there," she frowned, deep in thought.

"Wonderful. It shouldn't be a problem then, seeing as you quite enjoy monstrous things," Maleficent teased, eyes glinting.

"You are not monstrous," Aurora balked, slapping her arm playfully.

Maleficent gasped in mock indignation. "I never meant me, you little beast."

Aurora smirked, glancing back down into the chasm. "You've been in one before?"

"Briefly. When I first came here, I did a bit of exploring. There is a layer of rock below most of the desert. In some places, there are tunnels like these, filled with these roots... or whatever they are," she added, raising an eyebrow as she peered into the darkness. "They make it easy to climb down. You won't have to worry about falling."

"What's at the end of the tunnels?"

Maleficent scratched at the back of her head, then rubbed at one of her horns idly. "Never got that far. Ran into that other human for the first time. She didn't seem too pleased with me barging in on her dwelling, so I left." Aurora shot her an insecure glance. "But I've found her to be harmless," Maleficent added.

"Well, I hope these ones are safe," Aurora grimaced. With an agility unexpected of her, she leapt down into the dark, swinging onto a branch below. "It's a bit dark," she put mildly, glancing back up at Maleficent where she perched. Her eyes were incredibly bright amidst the shadows.

"Your eyes should adjust. If not, I will guide you." Maleficent grinned, eyes flashing.


	8. Submersion

_Here's another long one for you guys. Hope it delivers everything you were looking for. :)_

_- DB_

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Aurora gripped onto one rugged branch after another, lowering herself deeper into the chasm behind Maleficent. Her eyes had begun to get used to the darkness, though she relied more on feeling than seeing. Maleficent often cupped a wing along her body as she moved, reaching back and brushing her arm with her fingertips.

Aurora wished she had a light of some kind. She could just barely make out the silhouette of Maleficent's curving horns, glimmering with the small amount of light that managed to make its way down to them.

Eventually, Maleficent reached out and clasped her hand, pulling her up onto a smooth, rocky ledge along the inside of the tunnel. It was wide and flat, and cool as glass.

"Let's rest here for awhile," Maleficent requested. Aurora felt around in the dark, crawling up into the alcove on her hands and knees. Maleficent's wings filled up the space easily, pressing up along the underside of the rock above them and tickling Aurora's bare skin. She shivered at the touch, realizing exactly how cold it was compared to the surface.

"Come here," Maleficent soothed, laying flat on her back and coaxing Aurora into her lap. Aurora shivered again as she slid across her skin, nudging the side of her jaw along Maleficent's collarbone. Her wings blanketed around her, cocooning her where she lay. The air in between them stilled in an instant.

Aurora blinked into the blackness of the alcove, listening intently to Maleficent's heartbeat. The utter silence of the place was disconcerting. She didn't like it. She felt trapped, as though someone had forced them down there as a form of imprisonment.

Now that they were safe and secluded, all she could wonder was how long they would have to wait, when they could go home, when Maleficent's powers would return to her, and why they had vanished in the first place.

"Aura," Maleficent purred softly, combing her fingers through her hair.

"Hmm?" Aurora curled into her, eyes falling softly shut under the warmth of her wings.

"There's something I need to tell you." Her hand stilled, and she could almost feel Maleficent's gaze on her. Aurora's heart fluttered for a moment, hoping beyond anything that Maleficent was about to finally open up to her. Maleficent must have felt it, because she chuckled softly, trailing a finger along Aurora's chin.

"What is it?"

Maleficent uttered another quiet laugh, pulling Aurora into her further and sliding her thigh along her waist. She took Aurora's hand in her own, placing her palm flat on her abdomen. Aurora felt her heartbeat pounding there, sending small tremors through her muscles.

"Can you feel anything?" Maleficent whispered.

"Your heart," Aurora answered without a second thought. She blushed at the close proximity, doing her best not to move too much where she lay pressed against Maleficent's core. Maleficent's heartbeat thumped erratically. Her body temperature skyrocketed.

She felt Maleficent press her lips to the top of her head. They drew into a smile as she spoke. "When faeries mate, they do so for life."

Aurora beamed, stroking her fingers along Maleficent's belly, breathing a deep sigh into the crook of her neck. "I should hope so. I'd be rather offended if it were any other way."

Maleficent chuckled again, shaking her head. "That's not quite what I meant."

Aurora glanced up at Maleficent, craning her neck to catch her glimmering eyes. She could just make out the details of her face in the darkness. She focused on her full lips longingly, wanting nothing more than to taste them again. It was difficult to remain patient.

"When I... When we..." Maleficent hesitated, her heart hammering beneath Aurora's fingers.

Aurora smirked, grinding her leg softly against Maleficent. "Did this?" she asked, smiling openly as Maleficent instantly hardened at her movement. Her eyes fluttered shut for a moment, clenching her jaw.

"Yes," she ground out, voice shaking. "That." She gripped Aurora's shoulder and opened her eyes again, a renewed fire burning within her prisms. "I took some of your life force into me."

Aurora lifted herself up onto an elbow. "My life force?" She twitched her lips, unsure of what that meant.

"Yes. And because of that, I am bound to you now."

Aurora furrowed her eyebrows, remembering the intense, painful look that marred Maleficent's beautiful face when she had pulled away from her that morning. The complete loss of her power afterward. Had she done this? Had she damaged Maleficent in some way?

Her lip shook at the thought, and she lowered her eyes, blinking away the tears that rushed there. Maleficent squeezed at her waist, brushing her lips against her forehead again. She kissed her there softly, smiling into her skin.

"It's not a bad thing, you adorable little beast. Those better not be tears."

"They are," she confessed, choking on her words.

Maleficent stroked the edge of her jaw, drawing smooth circles there. She was impossibly gentle, feather soft against her skin. Aurora sucked in a shaky breath in an attempt to steady her heart.

"Aura," Maleficent purred again, brushing the hair from her eyes. She kissed her cheek, lifting her chin to meet her vibrant gaze once more. "Once I have taken your life force I cannot accept another's. Ours combined..." she stalled, tucking a loose ringlet behind Aurora's ear. "They combined to make a new one."

Aurora sat up further, Maleficent's wings shifting gently across her bare shoulders. She blinked slowly back into Maleficent's piercing eyes, the weight of her words sinking in. Her heart skipped; she flashed her eyes across Maleficent's belly again, wearing a sly smile. She squeezed Maleficent's waist softly, wiping away a stray tear with the back of her hand.

"Are you saying..." Aurora paused, arching an eyebrow. "Are you..." Aurora blushed. Blood rushed to her head with such a force that she thought she might pass out. She blinked several times, fighting back the grin she wore, unsure if she understood Maleficent correctly. She wondered for a moment if she was simply hearing what she wanted to.

Maleficent gazed back at her steadily, eyes glinting. She pursed her lips in an attempt to hide her twitching smile. Aurora got the sensation that she was quite enjoying Aurora's inner turmoil.

"Are you?" Aurora stammered again, lips slightly parted. Her eyes darted from Maleficent's pale, smooth belly to her full lips, finally resting on her striking eyes.

"I am." She nodded softly, clasping onto Aurora's hip and drawing her nail across the skin. Her eyes never left Aurora's. It was almost scary how intense she had become in that moment, watching her longingly through lidded eyes. She lowered her eyes to focus on her lips, biting her own bottom lip softly.

"I didn't know that was... possible." Aurora slid her index finger along the front of Maleficent's belly, trailing it further down along the inside of her thigh. The skin there was softer than anything Aurora had every felt. She smoothed her fingers over it, brushing away the stray particles of dried sand that remained there from their trek through the desert. Maleficent sighed, closing her eyes and leaning back into the rock.

She curled her wings tighter around Aurora's back as she continued stroking her. Aurora's eyes couldn't help but wander to Maleficent's core and the way it pressed softly against her opposite thigh. Aurora felt suddenly curious, twitching her fingers along through the air just above it.

Maleficent's eyes were still closed. She breathed deep, idly drawing circles against Aurora's hip. Aurora grinned, lowering her fingers to tickle Maleficent's underside. Maleficent jolted at the touch; her eyes flashed open.

"Curious little beastie," she accused, glaring playfully. She slapped Aurora's hand away, but it careened back into it as though magnetized. Aurora had an incredibly difficult time hiding the smirk that crept onto her lips. Teasing Maleficent was far too entertaining.

Maleficent's eyes burned in the darkness. She pursed her lips, almost daring her to touch it again. The look melted Aurora on the spot, though perhaps not in the way Maleficent had hoped. She gripped Maleficent's thighs with both hands, giving them a tight squeeze before dragging her nails along the skin. Maleficent gasped at the touch, closing her eyes again and clutching onto Aurora's hip harder.

The devilish smile on Aurora's lips never faltered. She tickled at Maleficent's underside again, running a slender finger against the smooth skin. Maleficent's eyes shot open a second time, though she made no effort to cover herself or turn away.

"I'm still shy about that," Maleficent admitted begrudgingly.

Aurora giggled. "You're still shy after what we did?"

Maleficent tensed, lips tight. Her eyes never left Aurora's. They were so incredibly focused, unfaltering. Just as they had always been, as far back as Aurora could remember. Maleficent didn't just look at her. She saw into her. She could feel her gaze on her heart, inside of her mind, moving through her in electrifying currents.

Aurora giggled again, leaning down and kissing Maleficent's thigh. Heat came off of her in powerful waves. When she met Maleficent's gaze again she was blushing. "You were inside of me not long ago. How can this bother you?"

Maleficent released a shuddering breath at the thought, blinking slowly. "That was different. I was inside of you." She blushed deeper. "You weren't scrutinizing every little detail."

Aurora laughed, squeezing at her thigh again. "I am not scrutinizing."

Maleficent's eyes flicked from Aurora's eyes to her own body, then back again. "I must disagree. You are clearly dissecting me with your eyes."

Aurora buckled against Maleficent in her laugher. "Am not," she argued. She smirked again, leaning into Maleficent further and kissing her thigh again, dragging the very tip of her tongue along the silk skin there. Maleficent shook underneath her, sucking in a breath of air. Aurora felt her core jolt even harder.

She grazed her palm against it a third time, as gentle as possible. Her own insides clenched and burned at the tiny whimper that escaped Maleficent. She resisted the compulsion to grind herself against her there. Instead, she slowly and methodically slid her tongue along Maleficent's underside, reveling in the tremors that coursed through Maleficent's body and the stifled groan that escaped her lips. It was loud in the enclosed space, and Maleficent bit into her own hand to quiet it.

Aurora teased her further, moving her tongue in small circles around her tip. Maleficent stifled another whimper with her hand, grabbing onto Aurora's shoulder. Her hips gave a tiny buck but she quickly subdued them. Aurora grinned all the more, gliding her hands back along the inside of Maleficent's thighs. She hesitated as her fingers slid against wet skin. At first she thought Maleficent had sweat during her turmoil, but it felt different, almost slippery.

Maleficent froze, gripping onto Aurora's shoulder. "Don't," she begged, voice shaky.

"Don't? Because you're shy?" Aurora played, sliding her fingers further up, following the source of Maleficent's wetness. Despite her request, Maleficent parted her thighs, gripping Aurora's body against her with them. Her muscles were powerful but shaky, pressing against her harder with each centimeter Aurora covered.

Her fingers slid against a wet slit at the very base of Maleficent's stiff core, hidden deep between her legs. Aurora realized instantly that she and the winged woman were not all that different after all. She flicked Maleficent's tip with her tongue again as she ran her fingers along her slit carefully. Maleficent's entire body quivered underneath her. Her muscles spasmed as though momentarily electrified.

"Aura," she ground out, shivering. "I won't be able to guarantee your safety if you continue to do that."

Aurora's skin prickled at the confession. Her insides pulsed, suddenly excruciatingly curious to see how Maleficent would react should she go on. She ran her bottom lip along Maleficent's tip, sliding her middle finger inside of her. Her own insides throbbed painfully at the sound that escaped Maleficent, still sore from their earlier experience. She probed around inside of her for a moment, absolutely stunned with how hot and tight she was. She slicked her ring finger in to join the first, dipping deep inside of Maleficent in her exploration. The sounds that escaped Maleficent only spurred her on.

She slid her lips up Maleficent's base as she went, swiping her tongue along its side and over the tip again before closing her lips over it in a soft kiss. Maleficent nearly bucked into her again, clenching her walls around Aurora's fingers painfully so. Maleficent panted, clutching onto Aurora's shoulder with one hand while running her fingers through her hair with the other. Her wings fell open beside them, occasionally reaching up and cupping the sides of her body when she tensed.

Aurora curled her fingers inside of her, slicking them against her inner wall. She parted her lips and took Maleficent a little into her mouth, flicking her tongue along the skin. She pulled away, smirking at the low, shivering gasp Maleficent failed to conceal. Maleficent bucked her hips again, pressing her nails into her shoulder.

"Aura, for your sake you had better stop," she warned again, clamping her legs around the girl powerfully and beating once at the still air. Aurora's heart pounded, throbbing all the more as she continued to curl her fingers up and down inside of her. She took her into her mouth again, sucking at her gently and closing her eyes at the taste that suddenly accumulated at her tip.

Maleficent tensed around Aurora harder, grabbing her roughly by the shoulder and sliding out from under her. Aurora's back met with the glassy floor, still incredibly hot where Maleficent had just had her body pressed to it. Maleficent loomed over her, shuddering and tensing her shoulders. Aurora pressed her fingers into her harder, reveling in the blissful look that overtook her features.

Her eyes sprang open again, blazing furiously into Aurora's. She groped around at Aurora's hand dazedly, eventually retrieving it from in between her legs and pinning it alongside her head where her hair lay spread out around her. Aurora's eyes wandered again, flitting down to where Maleficent hovered just above her legs, excruciatingly hard and wet at the same time.

"I want inside of you again," Maleficent panted, licking her lip.

"Won't it hurt you?" Aurora frowned.

"I don't care," Maleficent growled, closing her lips around Aurora's. She pressed her tongue into her mouth, gliding it along her own and biting down onto her bottom lip. It wasn't at all gentle, and Aurora let out a little gasp at the sharpness of Maleficent's teeth. Maleficent sucked and licked at it in apology, probing her mouth again and squeezing her hand.

Aurora groaned underneath her, softly jutting her hips against Maleficent, gasping at her stiffness. Maleficent shuddered, gripping onto Aurora's hips again and flipping her onto her knees. She bit onto the back of her shoulder, entwining her fingers with Aurora's on either side of her body. Aurora's heart throbbed painfully, fully aroused and terrified by Maleficent's sudden aggression.

She arched her back against her, shivering at the feel of her breasts on her backside and the feathers that trailed against her sides and legs. Maleficent's hair cascaded down around her, spilling smoothly over her back and shoulders. She pressed against her inner thigh stiffly, releasing little shuddering gasps between the bites she placed along Aurora's neck and shoulder.

"Ah," Aurora let loose a puff of air, suddenly light-headed. Maleficent pressed her thighs fully against her own, grinding against her heatedly. Aurora clenched her fingers tightly, breaking into a cold sweat. "Do it," she pleaded.

Maleficent groaned at the request, shuddering as she pressed into Aurora slowly. She staggered halfway in as Aurora clenched around her powerfully, wincing at the pain.

"Don't stop," she breathed. Maleficent gave in easily, thrusting further into her. Aurora stifled a cry at the pressure, still not fully adjusted to having Maleficent inside of her. Maleficent jolted into her instinctively, delivering a wave of pleasure unlike any other she'd experienced. It was sharp, almost painful, and impossibly deep.

She arched her back further, sweating against the heat that radiated off of Maleficent. Her hips buckled as Maleficent pushed into her harder, rocking her with the movement. She fought to balance herself, bracing herself against Maleficent's front and clenching her walls around her. Her arms shook, threatening to collapse out from under her.

Maleficent must have felt her quake. She let go of one of Aurora's hands to brace her arm across her chest and shoulder, stabilizing her. She pushed into her with long, deep thrusts, biting hard onto her shoulder in order to stifle her cries. Aurora's cheeks burned, tingling sharply. She dizzied under Maleficent's momentum, barely able to hold herself up. Maleficent clutched her tighter against her chest, slowing down to lick alongside her neck.

"I warned you," she reminded her, and Aurora couldn't help but let out a small laugh in between soft gasps.

"I wanted to see what you'd do," she faltered, shaking as Maleficent shoved into her forcefully. She remained deep within her, grinding softly against the strange, slick orb she found there.

Aurora expelled a sharp cry, suffering a mixture of shooting pleasure and pain. The sensation was both terrible and heavenly, and she couldn't bear the thought of it ever stopping. Maleficent never pulled away; she remained there for a long time, panting heavily against the side of her neck, trembling as she held Aurora closer to her body. She pounded her wings, brushing against the walls and ceiling. They kicked up a breeze warmer than the desert air far above them.

"Please," Aurora gasped. The pressure inside of her had reached mind-numbing heights. She'd completely lost feeling of her legs and her breaths were so ragged she thought she might faint. "I don't think I can-" she gasped again, clenching painfully against Maleficent and blinking away the tears that formed. "I can't take much more of that," she pleaded, going limp in her arms.

Maleficent instantly pulled away, giving the strange orb a respectable amount of distance while still gently pushing in and out of her at a steady pace. Aurora continued to clench around her, shaking uncontrollably.

"Sorry, I thought you liked that," she apologized, kissing the edge of her shoulder.

"Oh, I did," Aurora shivered. "Any deeper and I think you would have found my womb," she admitted. Maleficent tensed at the thought, kissing her over and over again along her neck and side of her jaw. She jolted into her again, releasing a hot wave of fluid deep inside of her. It was strangely soothing as it filled her up, warming her aching walls and petrified core. Aurora shuddered intensely, sinking softly against the cool rock with Maleficent tucked into her side, breathing heavily.

Their shuddering breaths filled the inside of their tiny alcove. Aurora's heart pounded in the aftermath, taking an unreasonable amount of time to slow. She blinked away the remaining tears, exhaling sharply.

"I think I broke something," Maleficent finally groaned, stretching a wing out alongside them.

"Yeah, me." Aurora chuckled softly, leaning into Maleficent where she planted a kiss behind her ear.

"I'm sorry," Maleficent apologized yet again, hugging her tightly. "I didn't mean to hurt you, beastie."

Aurora reached up above her shoulder to stroke at Maleficent's horns. "I would let you do it again in a heartbeat," she breathed, blushing profusely. Maleficent hummed softly against her ear, sliding gently out of her and allowing her insides some recovery.

Aurora leapt at the sudden vacancy, turning around to face her. "It didn't hurt?" she asked, trailing her fingers across Maleficent's slick abdomen. Maleficent's eyes followed her gaze; she stroked at her belly idly before kissing Aurora firmly on the lips.

"I've already bound to you. It must not hurt after the first time," she guessed aloud.

"And your powers?" Aurora pressed, eyebrows knit.

Maleficent lowered her eyes. "No... They are still gone." She leaned her forehead against Aurora's, wrapping her wings around her gently. "I'm sorry, beastie."


	9. Aberration

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The cavern echoed strangely below them as Maleficent and Aurora continued their descent. There came distinct trickling sounds from one of the tunnels further down. The walls had a glimmer to them, as though they were somehow slimy or wet. Maleficent didn't much care for the musky smell that wafted off of them. She took care not to touch them, guiding Aurora carefully along from one hard branch to the next.

The girl's legs shook ever so slightly as she followed her. Maleficent knew she was tired and sore, but they had to continue on. Her stomach was already painfully hungry, and she knew Aurora must have felt the same by now.

She had never actually found naturally-growing fruits or berries along the surface before. She always summoned up her own sustenance whenever the urge hit her. The thought that there might not be any sort of food terrified her, and she was angry at herself for not considering it earlier. She didn't want to mention her fear to Aurora. There was no reason to scare the girl more than she already was.

Every so often she would carefully brush a branch in front of her, attempting to summon up any form of magic that could twist or contort them in some way. Anything to show that her powers were still there somewhere. The only indication she saw was the faint blue light that occasionally pulsed deep within her abdomen.

Aurora suddenly slipped, latching onto Maleficent's wing where it had been pressed alongside her.

"Aura!" Maleficent grasped her by the waist and reeled her in close. Aurora huffed into her shoulder, breathing deep.

"Sorry. I'm just so dizzy," she smiled in the darkness, eyes not entirely focused.

"It's okay," Maleficent frowned, stroking her hair and kissing her on the forehead. "Come here," she directed, turning her back to the girl and pulling her arms around her neck and shoulders. She flattened her wings out to her sides. "Climb on," she directed, leaning forward so that Aurora could wrap her legs around her waist. She felt slightly off balance without her wings to steady her; she put all of their weight onto the sturdy branches around them and continued to lower herself further into the chasm, careful not to scrape Aurora's bare legs on any protrusions.

She followed the sounds of the trickling water, knowing that finding something to drink would have been a good first move. If they were lucky, food would be somewhere nearby as well.

Her feet finally met the belly of the chasm. The earth was wet and warm, not at all what she expected. It shook ever so slightly as she waded across it, hunched over and stroking at Aurora's arm where it lay clasped over her chest.

A faint, white light illuminated the end of the cavern, shining like a beacon against the blackness around them. Maleficent weaved in between the remaining roots where they disappeared into the moist earth, eventually reaching a clearing where she could make out the source of the light.

It shone out from within glassy cavern walls in the form of strange, illuminated droplets. Maleficent couldn't tell if the water itself was light or if the light was somehow trapped inside of it. It was both eerie and breathtaking the way it cascaded in near silence, pooling into thin streams along the base of the walls.

"Wow," Aurora breathed, peeking at it all from over Maleficent's shoulder. She slid down from her back, bracing herself against Maleficent's outstretched arm.

"Be careful," Maleficent warned as Aurora crept closer.

"Do you think it's magic? It reminds me of the moors somehow." She reached out carefully, skimming her fingers along the surface of the walls. "It's smooth."

Maleficent approached her, sliding her fingers along the glass as well, squinting at the little particles of light that swam and spun around in each little drip of water. It was almost as if they had lives of their own, on some infinitesimal level. The glass walls themselves formed strange shapes. She could almost imagine dreary faces in the curves and pockets of glass.

Her eyes followed the trail of droplets to the thin, vein-like streams that weaved along under the glass beneath them. They disappeared into dark halls, tiny craters of blackness, out of sight. Maleficent wondered how vast the network of caves might be, and exactly how far below the surface they had managed to delve.

"I think they might be alive," Aurora pondered aloud, striking at the glass again.

Maleficent smiled, reminded of the first time Aurora had visited the moors, how big and bright her eyes had gotten at all the little life forms around her. She hadn't even known where to start, reaching out and stroking everything within reach, in complete awe of the world around her. No matter how scared she might have felt, no matter how bizarre her surroundings, she was still forever curious and adventurous, wanting to see and know more.

Maleficent brushed her fingers along through her hair as she watched her. Aurora caught her eyes and grinned broadly, tilting her head slightly into Maleficent's palm.

"It's strange," Aurora whispered, her eyes darting back to the light stream.

"What?" Maleficent pursed her lips, gently toying with her hair where it fell past her shoulders.

"Strange, that this world is just as beautiful as it is terrifying. It's how I felt when I first saw you."

"You found me terrifying?" Maleficent laughed at the idea, unsure of whether or not she should feel offended. Aurora met her gaze again, chuckling softly.

"Just for a moment. You were rather intimidating when you came out of the forest the way you did. But then, you were trying to be, weren't you?"

Maleficent laughed again. "Quite true," she admitted.

Aurora reached out, smoothing her thumb along Maleficent's prominent cheek. "You still scare me sometimes. You're so peaceful on the surface. So quiet. Forever watching. But there is a fire in your eyes that I've only ever gotten glimpses of."

Maleficent's breath caught in her throat. She swallowed hard, burning up under Aurora's touches.

"I like seeing that fire take you over," Aurora hushed, lowering her eyes. Maleficent followed her gaze, stepping in close to wrap her arms around her waist.

"Aura..."

Something strange surged through the walls, shimmering in her peripheral vision. She pulled away from the girl slightly, drawing her eyes along the glass in search of the phantom.

"Did you see that, too?" Aurora asked, gripping onto Maleficent's waist tightly.

Maleficent didn't answer. She pursed her lips, backing slightly away from the wall, brandishing herself between it and Aurora. Her eyes darted back and forth across the surface, observing every little change in the light stream.

The glass moved. It morphed under her gaze as though melting, sliding away from the light in large, drooling globules. Maleficent braced her wing alongside Aurora, holding her steadily behind her, crouching slightly where she stood. She wasn't sure what was taking place but she didn't like the way the light ceased its movements, growing still against the wall's disintegration. The face-like protrusions expanded away from the wall, followed by necks and shoulders.

"Aura, stay back!" she cried, pushing Aurora further back behind her. Her wings exploded out along her sides and she crouched further, muscles taut and shaking at the sight before her. Three bodies materialized from the glass, hardening into black, sinewy muscles and dripping jaws. Their eyes were deep-set and empty, though somehow staring as though from a void. The first one screamed; it was blood-curdling and ragged, reverberating off the walls and into the surrounding chasms.

It rushed at Maleficent the instant its legs were free of the wall, lunging at her with gnashing teeth. Oil-black ooze sprayed out of its mouth as it went, flecking the floor. Maleficent threw her wings up, thrusting a powerful wave in its direction, blasting it backward heavily. It stumbled, flying back against the hard wall and cracking the base of its skull on the material there. A sickly thud echoed around the cave.

She could hear Aurora scream her name behind her. She seemed so far away, drowned out by the pounding in her ears and the rasping gasps of the two other monsters that fought to part from the wall.

They came at her at once, flashing across the distance without taking a single step. They were suddenly on her and howling, sinking blazing, needle-like teeth into her arms and wings as she whirled, attempting to sling them off of her.

They were impossibly heavy, weighing her down onto her knees. They clamped down on every piece of flesh they could get at, piercing her over and over again. Maleficent sank to the ground, utterly winded and blinded by pain. Aurora's cries were incoherent, muffled and far away. All she could fathom in that moment was that they would be on Aurora soon, too.

Suddenly, a cold, magnetic force rippled against her skin, lifting her vision momentarily. An excruciatingly loud, grating sound ripped into them, as sharp as metal on metal. Maleficent staggered underneath the onslaught, momentarily deafened. The creatures were torn away from her in one fluid movement. She gazed upward, blinking away tears, watching as they floated in place above her.

One of them belched out a paranormal scream. Maleficent watched in awe as its head caved in on itself with a wet, crushing sound. Aurora fell silent behind her. Maleficent staggered upright, turning to face the girl again. She had fallen to her knees, horror-struck. Maleficent limped toward her, turning back to watch the creatures where they hovered in mid-air. She brandished her wings again, shuddering at the pain that wracked her body.

It was then that she saw the girl in the white, hooded coat standing at the far end of the chasm. She had her hand held out in front of her, palm upright. Flecks of liquid metal spilled away from her wrapped sleeves, defying the gravity around her. She glanced at Maleficent, giving a slight nod.

There came a sick popping sound; Maleficent's eyes shot back to the remaining creature. She watched, dazed, as its spine was torn cleanly from its body, spilling oil-black liquid all across the cavern floor.

Aurora gasped, burying her face into Maleficent's backside. She remained there for a long moment, shaking uncontrollably.

"You're- you're okay," she kept repeating, gripping onto her arm painfully.

What remained of the creatures splatted down across the floor in front of them, rolling wetly against the glass before coming to a gruesome halt. Maleficent looked away, tucking Aurora's face into her neck and whispering softly.

"Yes." Her voice shook. "We're okay." She had never before felt so powerless and terrified as she did in that moment. Her heart pounded, unimaginably grateful for the presence of their new friend.


	10. Sentinel

_I put two chapters up together. No__, there isn't going to be a threesome with the OC. You can relax. ;) _

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The girl in white strode slowly forward, holding one hand out to her side steadily as though bracing herself against the air itself. She moved her head as she approached; the lit, bright-blue lenses over her eyes gleamed at Aurora and Maleficent from across the clearing. The tails of her coat fluttered against the backs of her knees, clinking softly with each step. All manner of strange belts and metal plates glinted off of her.

Maleficent tore her eyes away long enough to inspect her own wounds. Her skin was fast closing around the many punctures that riddled her arms and legs, leaving dried lines of blood in their wake. Aurora's hands were on her, smoothing gently over her skin and kissing her jaw. Her heart fluttered at her touches. Moments ago, she thought she might never have felt Aurora again. She turned her head toward her kisses, cupping her cheek and leaning into her ear to whisper.

"I love you so much," was all she could think to say in that moment. Aurora squeezed her into a hug and pressed more kisses along her cheek and jaw in response, echoing the words back to her over and over.

Maleficent gazed over Aurora's shoulder to watch their strange rescuer again, not entirely sure how to thank her. She seemed preoccupied, however, crouching down and inspecting the remains of the freshly slaughtered creatures. Liquid metal slid away from her arm in one fluid streak, solidifying to create a blade that started at her elbow and expanded along her wrist and fingertips. She brought it crashing down with a speed Maleficent's eyes couldn't match, severing an arm from the corpse. The impact shook the ground.

Aurora leapt in her arms, shaking slightly. Maleficent squeezed her shoulder as she continued to watch the stranger. She stood, nonchalantly slinging the arm over her back and clasping it there with a series of thin ropes and buckles. Her bright, illuminated gaze met Maleficent's again. The blue light blotted out the rest of her features, hidden behind her shadowy hood and stray locks of silver hair.

She gestured toward them, crouching slightly and holding out a hand as though beckoning them forward.

Aurora kept her face cradled into Maleficent's neck, glancing sidelong at the girl and shaking. Maleficent didn't want to make her move. She didn't want to scar her further. She lowered her eyes from the piercing blue light, dropping them to Aurora before darting back up again.

The girl tilted her head slightly, readjusting the arm on her back before making small steps forward, holding her hands passively in front of her. She wore odd, knee-high boots with some kind of armored knee padding. They hardly made sound against the glass.

Maleficent was convinced if she intended on doing any damage she would have already done so, though she was still incredibly wary of her. She had never actually spoken to her in the past. They had only ever traded suspicious glances before parting ways.

As the girl crept closer, Maleficent realized just how small she was even in comparison to where they crouched on the floor.

She uttered a strange, echoing word. Her voice was light, the language incomprehensible. Maleficent shook her head to show that she didn't understand. Aurora gazed up at her, blinking tear-filled eyes against the blue light.

The girl kneeled, reaching out and lightly pinching at Maleficent's skin where it sealed around a wound. Aurora followed her movements, eyes darting to the severed arm as it slid forward and bumped against her side. She shivered and recoiled, causing the girl to jump back.

The girl's gaze followed Aurora's. She looked back down at the swinging arm, shoving it along behind her back aggressively. She held her hand out to Aurora again.

Her sleeves were composed of several separate scraps of white cloth, wound around and around her arms like bandages. The liquid metal Maleficent saw earlier had vanished, leaving glimpses of cream-white skin in its absence.

She uttered another word. The sound moved strangely in the air. Maleficent wasn't even sure if it could be considered a sound. It felt as though it were inside of her head rather than her ears.

Aurora's hand shivered as she reached out. She clasped onto the girl's fingers carefully.

"Thank you," she whispered.

The bright blue light flitted between Aurora and Maleficent, illuminating their faces. She nodded, then tilted her head again, letting go of Aurora's hand. Maleficent wasn't entirely sure she had even understood what Aurora said.

The girl turned her palm toward her own mouth, gripping her fingers at some invisible substance. She made the gesture several times before appearing disgruntled at their blank stares.

"What does she want?" Aurora whispered, clutching onto Maleficent's arm.

Maleficent shook her head in response, arching an eyebrow at the strange gesture.

The girl suddenly threw her arms up, irritated. She reached toward her own face again, plucking away at the tiny buckles and gaskets that kept her mask on. It fell away from her eyes and mouth, revealing thin, silver eyebrows and pale white lips. The whites of her eyes were far from white. They were as black as the sky far above them now. Her irises were composed of several thousands of tiny white orbs, all slowly rotating around her pupil like a miniature galaxy. The rest of her features were surprisingly human, almost child-like.

She returned her hand to her mouth, pretending to bite down on some invisible piece of fruit. She raised her eyebrows, standing back up. Her mask settled against her chest, no longer lit.

"I think she wants to know if we're hungry," Maleficent guessed. Aurora's belly croaked, perfectly on queue. Maleficent couldn't help but smile despite all that had just happened.

She slowly got to her feet, surprised to find that she towered over the girl by at least a head. Aurora came up with her, legs still visibly quaking. Maleficent wasn't sure if it was due to fear or exhaustion. Her heart ached for her beastie; she had never wanted this to happen.

The girl quickly turned and gestured for them to follow her. She swung a solid kick into the side of one of the creatures as she went, sending it skidding across the floor. It evaporated into the air as it moved, disintegrating back into the glass from which it came.


	11. Channeler

Aurora poked softly at Maleficent's side as they followed their bizarre rescuer further into the dark and winding chasm. She slid her fingers gently up and down her skin, feeling around for any additional wounds.

"Aura, I'm okay..." Maleficent repeated again and again in soothing half whispers.

Aurora's lip trembled as she trudged along. "You don't know what it's like..." she murmured, dropping her gaze. "All I could do was watch. They just... They were tearing you apart. And all I could do was sit there and..." her voice shook. She couldn't even explain how she felt, utterly powerless to stop what would have happened had someone else not intervened. She had never before felt so wretched, so utterly disgusted in her own humanity. She didn't wield any special powers or weapons. She wasn't strong, not like Maleficent. She couldn't protect her. She couldn't protect their unborn child.

Her lip shook again. Hot tears cascaded down her cheeks. Maleficent's soft hands were there in an instant, brushing them away and smoothing her thumb along her jaw.

"Listen to me, Aurora. This was not your fault. This was no one's fault. Terrible things simply happen. And we are okay. Everything is going to be okay. I trust our new friend."

She shifted her gaze to the girl in front of them. Her coattails flapped along and clinked with each step. If she heard or understood any of their conversation, she made no indication of it.

"I know," Aurora sighed. "I do too... It's just... I've never been so terrified in my life. I thought... I thought you would die. I couldn't even move. This emptiness just took me over. I didn't even want to live anymore." She choked back a sob, gripping Maleficent tightly around her waist as they walked. She relished the feel of her skin, her soft feathers as her wings bumped along her arms with each step. She so easily could have been snatched away from her forever, and the thought absolutely destroyed her. She never wanted to part from her again.

Maleficent leaned down to nuzzle her softly. Aurora spied their friend peeking along her shoulder at them. She suddenly felt incredibly exposed in front of her. She hadn't cared about their nakedness earlier, but now that things had calmed down it seemed very strange to be walking along without any clothes on. Maleficent must have suddenly felt the same way, lifting her wings up slightly to give their bottom halves some privacy.

The girl shifted her gaze again, brushing her fingers along the side of the cavern wall as she continued to lead them into darkness.

Aurora couldn't look at the walls the same way. It felt as though the entire world was out to destroy them. She wished she knew what the monsters were, why they attacked, and if they were in all the cavern walls. She glanced around at them fearfully, wishing she were far away from them, back atop Maleficent's magically procured mossy nest, or inside her warm home, beside the fire. She missed the cool and quiet waters of the moors, the dancing fae that resided there. She missed Diaval, she even missed her aunts.

A ringing, metallic sound interrupted her thoughts. The girl had paused, eyeing a specific part of the wall with one arm outstretched, fingertips barely gracing its surface. The sound dulled into a low-pitch whirring.

In one flashing moment, she ripped her hand back and punched headlong into the glass and rock, sending the rubble flying inward. Gold light spilled out from the opening, shimmering along the crumbled rocks and broken glass. She squeezed her hand into a fist in front of her. The leftover pieces scuttled quickly along, rolling and scraping out of her way.

She crossed her arms and stood aside, tilting her head at them, then the opening.

Aurora eased forward, still pressed firmly to Maleficent's side as she moved. There was an incredible amount of light on the other side of the archway, as though there were a massive fire on the other side. There came no crackling embers or heat; only a cool breeze. It smelled fresh and open, far different from the musky air within the chasm.

"You think it's okay?" Aurora asked Maleficent, still wary.

"No," Maleficent answered, tight-lipped. Aurora furrowed her brow in response, further confused by the tiny smile Maleficent fought to hide from her. "I think she's going to trap and eat us."

Aurora slapped her arm, both slightly irritated and amazed that she could still grace her with a sense of humor after everything that had happened.

Aurora took a large step toward the opening, shielding her eyes against the light. A hand on her shoulder stopped her. She glanced up a tattered sleeve and into the galaxy eyes of their rescuer, eyebrows raised.

The girl pulled her hand away, turning her palm upward and walking two of the fingers from her other hand across its surface.

"Walking?" Aurora guessed.

The girl nodded, then flipped the walking hand on its back, wiggling her fingers in the air.

"Falling." Maleficent said, grimacing.

The girl nodded again. Aurora glanced sidelong at Maleficent. She met her gaze with an arched eyebrow, also clearly confused as to how the girl could understand what they were saying.

She turned her hand a few times in the air above her palm before placing two fingers back onto her palm and nodding.

"We are going to fall through this opening... but land on our feet." Maleficent translated, looking not at all entertained by the idea. "Thanks for the warning," she added. She grasped onto Aurora's waist from behind, twitching her wings.

Aurora blushed, heart jumping at the movement. "This is what wings are for," Maleficent decided, and she leapt into the opening with Aurora clasped to her front, wings exploding outward around them.

Aurora's heart leapt into her throat at the sudden weightlessness, pounding painfully hard as Maleficent pumped her wings against the crisp air. The air itself was luminous, and almost tangible. Aurora reached out and combed her fingers through the strange, lightweight substance. Time seemed to stand still for that moment. The light pressed into her, unmoving.

As soon as the freeze had come over them, it lifted. There came a strange, gut wrenching sensation as their bodies flipped in the air. The sky was suddenly the ground, the ground the sky, and they were falling feet first, impossibly slow.

The light vaporized around them, spraying apart against the whipping wind. Aurora's feet met with cushioned ground. Strange, cream colored moss and mushrooms littered the earth around them. Bioluminescent plants weaved out from in between them, tiny lit marbles dangling from their leaves.

The landscape was strangely open and flat, expanding out for as far as her eyes could see. In the distance, she could see hazy, twisting plant life, dipping in and out of the earth like some gargantuan snake.

Aurora gazed up at the sky from which they came. It was blanketed in soft oranges, pinks and gold as though in a perpetual state of sunset.

"A world within a world," Maleficent mused, nuzzling Aurora softly.

Their rescuer flashed down from the sky with a much greater speed than Maleficent and Aurora had fallen. She touched with the ground, lowering her hood to scratch lazily at her head. Coils of silver hair spilled out of the fabric and flew around messily in the breeze. She glanced across the clearing, pointing at Maleficent's wings with a curious smile.

Maleficent used them to shield her and Aurora's lower parts once again, frowning. The girl simply laughed at them. It was a strange, echoing sound. Aurora found it a little unnerving. Maleficent's eyes flashed at the sound, scowling further.

The look didn't phase the girl. She averted her eyes, reaching inside the front of her coat and digging around haphazardly before unearthing a long, twisted rope of red fabric. It looked like it could have been some kind of scarf.

She fell to one knee, unfurling it along the ground in front of her before quickly tearing it into quarters. She bundled each one up and slung them across the distance one at a time. Maleficent caught them easily, glancing at Aurora with one arched eyebrow.

Aurora shrugged, equally confused.

The girl reached into her coat pockets this time. They clinked softly as she groped around inside, biting the tip of her tongue. Her hands finally emerged with a couple cords of brown, braided leather. She looped one around her own waist in example before bundling them both up and tossing them.

Maleficent chuckled. "How sweet. Actual clothes," she droned, eyeballing the supposed garments where she clasped them at the end of an extended arm.

Aurora snatched a set, grinning. "Reminds me of some of the fae's clothes."

She gripped Maleficent's wing, pulling it around her before tying the cord around her waist. Maleficent balked at the use of her wing, shooting an offended look over her shoulder.

"Little beast. I am not a changing room," she pursed her lips, managing to land a pinch on her rear end before the flap of red fabric swayed onto it. Aurora squeaked at the touch, slapping at Maleficent's hands as she stuffed the other portion of fabric into the cord across her front. The fabric fell like a curtain between her thighs, nearly reaching her knees. Her hips and thighs were still very much exposed, as were the sides of her back end.

Maleficent snuck another pinch in before attending to her own coverings, shielding herself from them both with her wings.

Their friend stood with one hand on her hip, looking mildly irritated at having to wait on them. As soon as Maleficent had finished, she broke into a jog ahead of them, motioning for them to keep up.


	12. Sky

Maleficent beat her wings at the cool air a short distance above where their friend jogged. She held Aurora in her arms, touching with the ground briefly every few wing strokes. Her beastie kicked her legs every so often where they hung over her arm. She beamed up at Maleficent, gently brushing the tips of her fingers up and down along her lower back. It was incredibly soothing.

The air billowed through Aurora's soft curls, carrying her scent and cooling Maleficent's exposed chest. She felt wild and carefree in that moment, all of their earlier misfortunes forgotten. If she hadn't already begun to miss the moors she would have considered staying here permanently, so long as the creatures from the chasm never reappeared.

"I'm so hungry," Aurora finally admitted.

"I know, beastie. Unfortunately I'm still recovering from the last time you got hungry," Maleficent played, tickling her thigh where she held her.

Aurora laughed, ducking her head against Maleficent's collarbone. "Still recovering? You're the one who injured me," she argued, giving her nipple a light pinch.

Maleficent's wings faltered. She dipped near the earth again, grazing her bare feet along the soft moss before pushing off again.

"Careful, or you're going to injure us both," Maleficent laughed, gliding smoothly against the breeze. "I don't want to drop you on your pretty head. You can't heal up quite at easily as I can."

Aurora grew silent in her arms, nuzzling her forehead against Maleficent's collarbone.

It didn't take long to realize that their friend was taking them to one of the gargantuan, snake-like trees. As they got closer, large, leg-like protrusions became visible. They grew out of the sides and bottoms of the mossy body, weaving and dipping into the earth. They made the entire thing look like some kind of massive millipede.

It towered several hundred feet above them, glinting brightly in the orange light. Tiny orbs flitted in the shade of its body. Maleficent couldn't be sure if they were just shining flecks of some dust or living creatures, but they strongly reminded her of the moors. Her heart ached, wondering if they would ever see their home again.

Their friend slid to a halt, silencing her clinking buckles and fastenings. She glanced up at Maleficent and Aurora where they hovered overhead, waving them down. Maleficent obliged, depositing Aurora safely onto the moss and giving her behind a light tap. She leapt away, glowering back over her shoulder with an impish grin.

Far below the belly of the serpentine tree, there lay an overgrown nest of debris surrounded by a collection of gathered stones. Their friend swiftly unclasped the repugnant arm from behind her back and tossed it off to the side and out of view. She approached the pile of debris, crouching down to dig around for a moment.

Maleficent and Aurora hovered behind her, glancing at each other hopefully.

The girl finally stood back up, withdrawing a package bound in black cord and dry leaves. She quickly untied it, unravelling what looked like chunks of bark. She grabbed a piece and bit into it, wrenching a sliver loose before chewing at it with squinting eyes.

Then she handed the package over to Aurora, turning her back on them to dig around in the debris further.

"Well... give it a try," Maleficent urged. Aurora picked at a chunk, sliding it between her finger and thumb and giving it a sniff. She raised an eyebrow, glancing back up at Maleficent.

"What exactly is it?" she asked.

"Edible," Maleficent shrugged.

Aurora bit into a piece carefully, wriggling it around in her mouth before finally tearing a bite loose.

"It's tough," Aurora chewed, holding a hand to her jaw. "And... salty."

Maleficent wrinkled her nose, but took a piece as well. They sat together, cross-legged and huddled over their meal. They ate in silence, glancing at one another and at their friend, who was now stuffing random bits from the pile into her pockets and down the front of her pants. Aurora arched an eyebrow as she chewed. Maleficent just shrugged.

"This is quite flavorful," she said in a loud voice, rubbing at her belly. "Mm. Yes."

"Yes, very much so. Thank you!" Aurora added, nodding at their friend with bright eyes.

The girl stopped rummaging long enough to blink back at them slowly, looking not at all amused.

"I think she knows it tastes awful," Maleficent muttered.

The girl smiled in response, approaching them again while perusing the inside of her apparently endless pockets. She withdrew a strange saucer, then slid the top half away from the grooved middle. It became a tiny, flat bowl. She placed it on the ground in between Maleficent and Aurora before fishing around in the bottom half of the saucer.

She picked out what looked like two gnarled pieces of metal and placed them in the upturned bowl. She swirled her fingers at them and they began to spin around, gaining momentum until they blurred. They ricocheted against each other, flashing sparks.

Aurora watched, open mouthed, a slice of bark held inches from her face. Maleficent chuckled at her blank expression.

The girl drew a messy ball of strange fibers from the inside of her sleeve and tossed it onto the whirring bowl where it instantly caught fire. She leapt back up, returning to her pile and yanking loose several shards of dried wood, slinging them across the clearing to Maleficent as she unearthed them.

Maleficent used them to build a small pyramid atop the bowl. Soon they had a tiny pyre crackling between them.

A blanket caught the top of one her horns, veiling one of her eyes. Aurora broke into laugher at the sight, leaning into Maleficent's shoulder and clutching her leg.

"You make a fine coat rack, my love," she chuckled. Maleficent's heart jumped at the endearment.

More blankets rained down around them before she could even unhook the first. A small, wooden whistle bounced off the side of her leg. She picked it up and turned it over in her hand, catching the girl's eyes.

"I'm..." the girl's voice echoed in the air around them, though it was quiet and light. She furrowed her eyebrows, squinting upward. "I'm gonna go stab more food," she explained finally.

Aurora visibly jumped at her words. Maleficent hadn't expected her to talk, either. Her accent was strange, the words weren't entirely finished.

"You can talk? Like us, I mean?" Aurora asked. "Why not before?"

The girl laughed, scratching at the back of her head again before drawing her hood back up.

"Dunno," she admitted. "Just takes awhile. Eat more. Sleep. Call with that if they come for you." She pointed at the whistle. "Light blinds them."

She turned to run off again.

"Wait!" Aurora called. "Do you have a name?"

The girl paused, lifting her mask to clasp it in place. "You don't have a word for it. But you can call me Sky."


	13. Foregone

Maleficent shuddered, suddenly cold and far away from the warm place they had just been. Her knees and elbows pressed sharply against the freezing glass that surrounded her. She was trapped, naked and on display for the creatures that peered in at her from the darkness outside.

Their faces were blurred through the frosty glass. She could hear Aurora screaming somewhere far beyond her prison and she shook, beating her fists on the glass. It would not break. The creatures simply stared, pointed, muttered to one another through gaping mouths.

"Let her go!" Maleficent begged. Tears scorched down her face, burning as vehemently as iron. Her throat became dry, her lungs tight. There suddenly wasn't enough air to breathe, and she could feel herself falling. She sank forward into the glass.

She clenched her back muscles, attempted to unfurl her wings. But they weren't there, not even their roots. They hadn't been cut from her- they had simply never been.

"Please, don't hurt her!" Sobs racked her body. Her muscles ached. Her skin burned. Her brain and all her organs felt as though they were twisting up inside of her, coiling and uncoiling in one sickening motion.

"Don't hurt her..." she cried again, voice weak. Her eyes fluttered, her vision hazy. All she could make out was her own reflection staring back at her from the glass... and it wasn't her.

A darkness came over her, bleeding in from the edges of her eyes and consuming what little light remained. Her body had gone numb; the glass disappeared from around her and she was being pulled and pushed all at once. Her heart pounded phenomenally loud in her ears, as though it were all that existed.

A weight like none other clamped down all around her, threatening to break her. She felt soft, weak. Pained. Her head felt as though it would explode from the intense amount of pressure. She couldn't think, couldn't function. Couldn't breathe.

Light and air exploded all around her at once, shockingly cold. The pressure was released. And all she could think to do was cry, scream, kick as hard as she could. Her cries weren't what she heard. They were the cries of a baby.

"Whoa, there. A feisty one," a strange voice croaked far above where she writhed, grabbing and kicking every piece of flesh she came in contact with. Aurora. She had to save Aurora.

"Malicious little thing, isn't she?" the voice chuckled. She absolutely despised the tone of his voice, driving herself to fight harder.

A soft hum replied. "She's adorable. Maleficent... I'll call her Maleficent."

Maleficent jerked suddenly awake, shooting up from the ground and clutching one of her many blankets to her chest. Her breath came rapidly, inconsistent. Beads of sweat gathered on the nape of her neck and temple.

A body shifted softly beside her. Soft fingers stroked her bare front, smoothing over her damp skin. Her beautiful Aurora was there, smiling softly with half-lidded, sleep-heavy eyes.

"Are you okay, love?" she murmured, voice catching. She cleared her throat softly and sat further up. Golden coils of hair slid against her shoulder, glistening against the tiny fire that still burned a few feet away.

Maleficent swallowed, taking a deep breath and falling softly back against the nest of blankets, relieved that it was all just a nightmare.

"I'm okay," she breathed, turning to face her Aurora, toying idly with her hair. She would never grow tired of feeling her, hearing her soft breaths, her endearing voice. Her heart pumped steadily, slowing.

"You were moving a lot in your sleep... mumbling. I couldn't make out what you were trying to say."

Soft fingers continued to graze and caress her forehead and cheeks. They were soothing and cool on her heated flesh.

"I was... I dreamt that I was trapped in a glass cage. You were somewhere outside. You needed my help. And I couldn't... Couldn't break out. My wings were gone. And then... Maleficent paused, blinking softly. "My mother... I heard her voice. I think I was..." She blinked again, grazing the back of her hand along her temple.

Aurora's icy blues caught her eyes again, and she felt herself gazing deeply into them, powerless to pull away. She reached out, sliding her palm softly along her sharp jaw and delicate ears.

"You don't talk about your mother much," Aurora said in a low voice, concern in her eyes.

Maleficent frowned, lowering her eyes to Aurora's pink lips, blinking slowly again. "She died when I was very young. I only remember a few things about her. But..."

Aurora flipped her hair to one side, edging closer along Maleficent's side and stroking again at her folded wing.

"But this dream was... strange. No other dream has ever felt so real. It was almost as though... It were another life. But you were there. The monsters were there. But I was not me. And then... I think I suffocated?"

"It's okay, Mal... It was just a dream. We are both here, together."

"Hmm..." Maleficent purred softly as Aurora's hand danced along the base of her horns, teasing at the ridges there. The beast knew just how to soothe her. Her back tingled at the sensation; her arms pricked as she shivered lightly. "Mmm, stop that, beastie."

Aurora giggled, leaning on one elbow, hovering slightly over Maleficent where she lay. She continued to finger her horn, dragging her nail along it. "Stop? But it seems like you quite enjoy it," Aurora provoked.

"I do. But you should know by now what that does to me."

Aurora's eyes lit up at the confession. She eased closer to her, leaning her forehead against her horn and dragging the tip of her tongue along it lightly. Maleficent quaked at the sensation, tensing her hand in Aurora's hair. She grew instantly hard at the gesture; her thighs clamped together to stifle the heat that gathered there.

Aurora shifted her thigh against her. She brushed with the red fabric, drawing it slightly away from Maleficent's core. Maleficent shuddered again, heart racing as Aurora sidled onto her, tickling her neck and shoulders were her long locks.

A soft thud reached Maleficent's ears. She glanced up to see Sky standing at her junk pile, idly toying with the hair at the base of her neck while unloading some kind of wet serpent from her shoulders.

Aurora instantly collapsed onto Maleficent's front, feigning sleep. Maleficent could feel her covering her mouth, trying her very best not to burst out laughing at the intrusion. Maleficent could only frown, twitching at Aurora's weight against her noticeably hard appendage.

"Go back to sleep, you little devil," she chuckled softly, rolling her back onto her side. She pulled her close, inhaling her scent and burying her fingers in her hair, never wanting to part from her again- whether in dream or reality.


	14. Parasitic

_Thanks, everyone who is still interested in where this story is going. There's a lot I want to write. There's just not enough time to do it! I'll keep on with the steady updates, even if there isn't a lot happening yet. Some of you were requesting to see more on the pregnancy. I hope this is satisfying!_

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A soft, popping sound roused Aurora. She squinted her eyes at the noise, not ready to wake up. The warm oranges and yellows of a second fire filtered through the slits of her eyes. The flames crackled, snapping hungrily at the wood it consumed.

Sky sat crouched over the pit, scraping away at something with broad movements. She hacked and dug at whatever it was, occasionally impaling a slice of it onto a long stick and jamming it into the fire.

The girl was awfully loud and brusque with everything she did.

Aurora blinked into the heat a few more times, curling into Maleficent's side and inhaling deeply. She reached around her front to hold her, smoothing her hands up and down along her bare breasts and stomach.

She felt different. Her belly was slightly rounded and firm, and was incredibly warm to the touch.

Maleficent stirred at Aurora's caresses, humming groggily and turning to face her. Her cheeks were warm and pink, much more so than Aurora had ever seen on the pale women.

"Are you feeling okay, Mal?" she whispered, stroking her along her warm cheek.

Maleficent hummed again, stretching her arms into the air. "I feel... lovely," she decided. She dropped her arms, folding one behind her head to smile softly at Aurora.

Aurora cleared her throat, landing feather-light touches on Maleficent's abdomen. She gazed, lips parted, at the blue light that pulsed beneath her fingers, responding to her touch. The light was much more noticeable now. "Mal... You're showing, already..." Aurora stammered, unable to take her eyes away from the light.

Maleficent chuckled. "That tends to happen."

Sky glanced over her shoulder at them, a circle of charred meat dangling off the end of her stick. She was chewing, slowly knitting her eyebrows.

"But it's only been a day," Aurora stammered again. She gazed up into Maleficent's prismatic eyes. They were so calm. "How long... does it normally take?"

Maleficent shrugged. "Not sure. I didn't exactly have any examples to go off of while growing up."

"We haven't even had time to think of names!" Aurora sat up, eyes wide. Maleficent's hand was suddenly on her arm, smoothing circles into her skin. Aurora blinked slowly, leaning back into the blankets and sighing. Maleficent could have put her straight back to sleep with her touch alone.

"We will have plenty of time for that," Maleficent promised. She kissed her softly on the jaw before leaning her forehead into the crook of her neck, careful of where she pressed her horns. Aurora's skin prickled at the sensation. Her neck was always sensitive, and having Maleficent so casually grazing it with her horns had her muscles twitching. ' Besides, we should name her after she is born. We don't know much about her yet.'

"What're you gonna name?" Sky suddenly asked. Her voice was ethereal, moving through the air around them. Aurora wasn't sure she could ever get used to it.

Maleficent peered over her shoulder at the girl. "Our daughter," she answered straightforwardly, running her fingers along the back of Aurora's hand where it settled onto her belly.

Sky crawled over on her knees, still clutching at the stick in her hand and chewing with a rigid jaw. She tilted the end of it in their direction. Links of sizzling meat dangled off it. The smell of it burned the inside of Aurora's nose. She wrinkled it in response, flinching back into Maleficent slightly.

"Hungry?" Sky pushed, holding it out further. "Tastes better than that other shit."

Aurora balked at the curse word. She had only ever heard the men in the castle say it, sometimes when struggling to carry something or tripping on a cobblestone. Maleficent slowly reached out and removed a circle of meat. Her eyebrow was arched as well, her lips characteristically tight.

"How did you say you were learning our language...?" she asked before taking a tiny bite and glancing upward as she moved it around in her mouth. Aurora followed suit, taking a slice for herself and turning it over in her hand a few times.

"I don't know," Sky shrugged, taking another bite. "I've done it once before. Couldn't understand a thing these people were saying. Over time it made sense. Could almost," she paused her chewing, reaching out into the air in front of her, making a grabbing motion. "Could almost see the words. I just knew them. Unfortunately by then, they didn't wanna talk anymore."

She dropped her hand, resuming her animated chewing, looking not at all bothered. She creased her forehead, glancing at Maleficent's belly.

"Your daughter... she's in you? In your stomach?"

Maleficent nodded. Aurora watched them, eyes darting back and forth, turning the meat over and over in her hand. Maleficent sat up a little, readjusting the cloth across her lap. "Not my stomach. But yes. She's here. You can feel her and see her."

Sky scratched the back of her head, tilting it to the side as though trying to empty water out of her ear. She looked utterly confused by the entire thing. "That's kinda weird. Seems a little parasitic."

Maleficent's eyes flashed, sitting up a little further and brushing Aurora's hand away.

"SHE IS NOT A PARASITE," she suddenly ground out, cheeks aflame, hands balled into fists. Aurora immediately hugged her around her midsection, stroking her back softly in an attempt to calm her down.

Sky recoiled slightly at the outburst. "Sorry. A lot of this is strange to me. I'm just trying to make sense," she explained. She held the stick out again. "Want more?"

Aurora had accidentally dropped her slice in her urgency to soothe Maleficent. She blushed, scooping it back up off the top of the blankets and shoving a bite into her mouth. "No," she said around chews. "I wouldn't want to waste it. You've already helped us so much."

Maleficent blinked at the words, steadily relaxing her shoulders and settling back into her covers and Aurora, sighing.

"I am sorry," she apologized, lowered her horns. "I did not mean to react so powerfully."

Sky laughed. "You're both so strange. I like you."

She stood back up, jabbing the bottom end of her stick into a pile of black stones, steadying it. She returned to the fire and poked around at something else that had been burning away there.

Aurora realized it was the arm Sky had collected from the dead creature. She let out a sharp gasp, slinging her circle of meat away from her and across the clearing, utterly horrified. Maleficent dropped hers as well, frozen with her mouth open.

Sky glanced over her shoulder at them, eyebrows knit. She nonchalantly scraped away at the tar-skin, oozing it into a wooden saucer at her side.

"That was snake meat," Sky frowned. "I wouldn't feed you this. It would probably kill you," she emitted a paranormal laugh; Aurora's skin prickled sharply. Maleficent twitched at her side, reaching out and picking up her slice again, hand shaking.

Aurora's heart pounded in relief.

"I'm pretty positive this isn't even edible," Sky added, grabbing the arm by its joint and waving it around. "They aren't flesh and bone. They come out of whatever material they happen to be around." She shoved it back into the flames, scraping along the surface of the skin some more. "I use these ones to make cord, sometimes armor."

"Sky," Aurora interrupted her, clearing her throat. "I think you are the strange one here," she laughed. Her eyes darted across the clearing, searching for the bit of meat she had flung. It was nowhere to be found.

Maleficent suddenly shoved her own slice into Aurora's fingers, bolting upright and running a ways into the expanse. She nearly tripped on the blankets as she went, wings dragging behind her heavily. She hunched over and vomited on the spot.

Aurora leapt up as well, jogging to her side and hugging her around her shoulders. She tucked Maleficent's long, smooth locks behind one ear, holding the rest steadily at the base of her neck. Maleficent shook, falling slightly onto her knees.

"Mal!" Aurora shivered at the sight of her beautiful faerie hunched over and quaking. Beads of sweat gathered along the nape of her neck. She felt useless and unhelpful.

"I'm okay," Maleficent shuddered, grimacing at the taste on her lips. She slowly regained herself, standing back up to probe Aurora's eyes. "That is also normal... Although I'm sure I just reaffirmed Sky's parasite theory," she chuckled.


	15. Safeguard

_Quite a few of you have been asking to know more about Sky. I've been on the fence about her involvement in this story because she is an important person to me and the main character in my own book that I've been working on for a long time. This story has been a way for me to get back into writing and naturally, I gravitated to my own worlds and characters._

_I will have some more about her in here, but her story and background probably won't be talked about as much as you guys would like. The realm they are in is a very small portion of my own story. Her name isn't Sky, but you guys know that. :) I'm actually truly happy you guys find her so interesting. If you continue to enjoy her I could give you guys information about the progress of my own story in private messages if you like. Let me know, and enjoy the chapter! I'll have some good action in the next upload._

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Sky shuffled over to where Aurora held Maleficent, still idly chewing at the tough meat. She knit her eyebrows at Maleficent, darting her eyes back and forth between her and the puddle of vomit.

"You sick or what?" she asked, probing around in her pocket. She always seemed to be searching for things.

Aurora grimaced as she helped Maleficent to her feet, wrapping her arm around her back and shoulders. Her wings made her a lot heavier than she looked, and Aurora felt pitifully weak once again.

"She's not sick," Aurora explained. "She's pregnant. Nausea is just part of it." She guided Maleficent slowly back to the fire, careful not to move too fast. She didn't want to upset Maleficent's stomach more. She still seemed very tired, even though it felt as though they'd been asleep all day.

"Here," Sky offered, withdrawing her hand from her pocket once more, clutching at a handful of bright blue, glowing marbles. "I can get more. She can have these."

Maleficent held her stomach as she glanced back up at them, slightly hunched where she stood. "What is it?"

Aurora took them in her hand. They rolled and clicked together, flashing at the points where they tapped against one another.

"It'll get that awful taste outta your mouth," Sky explained. "They're cold."

Maleficent accepted one gratefully. She closed her lips around it, eyes wide. Rather then attempting to say anything, she instead motioned for Aurora to take one too.

Aurora laughed, popping one into her mouth as well. It was incredibly cold, and stung her lips. At the same time it was soothing and crisp, almost minty. She whined around it, eyes watering.

Sky laughed loudly at their display. "Told you," she chuckled, watching them as they winced. "I also know of a place that can help with your nausea, Maleficent."

Maleficent's head shot up at the sound of her name. Aurora glanced at Sky, too. She hadn't remembered ever telling the girl what their names were, and yet she still somehow knew. Sky arched an eyebrow at their silent stares, shoving her hands back into her pockets.

"How do you..." Aurora started. She paused to lick her lips. The strange marble had started dissolving in her mouth and with it came a strong tingling sensation.

"I don't know," Sky answered again, grabbing a fistful of her own hair and turning away from them as though suffering from a sudden massive headache. She bowed her head into the breeze; silver hair flew across her shoulders and glimmered in the light.

"Can you read our minds?" Maleficent asked quite seriously, straightening next to Aurora.

"No," Sky answered, agitated. "I dunno what it is, okay?" Her voice was muffled, almost pained.

Maleficent sighed, dropping her hands and approaching the girl. Aurora frowned, not entirely sure how to react to her sudden change in character. She watched as Maleficent reached out, placing a hand on the pad of Sky's shoulder.

"We don't mean to pry," Maleficent explained. "We are nothing but grateful for all that you've done for us. I suppose we are simply curious... as to why you chose to save us. Why you still help us now. Even though you do not know us."

Aurora bit her lip, focusing on Sky's shoulders and the silver hair that whipped across them.

"I don't know..." Sky said again, though her voice was lighter, thoughtful. "I've never been able to help anyone before," she admitted, turning to face them again. "I've always been alone. I guess I just wanted to see what it was like to have friends."

Aurora's heart ached at the reply. She stepped closer, holding onto the side of Maleficent's wing.

"You are our friend," Aurora smiled. She reached out her own hand, still surprised by how short Sky actually was. It was strange, standing a full head taller than someone who wielded so much power. Sky took her hand and bowed slightly, almost in the same way the fae at home sometimes did. Aurora wondered if she picked that up along with their language, through whatever unknown means.

"Then I'm glad," Sky nodded. The galaxies in her eyes swirled as she looked at them both, a smile on her pale white lips. "You two would be the first that didn't try to kill me," she laughed, dropping Aurora's hand. "Speaking of, if we go to this place I mentioned we could have a problem."

Maleficent crossed her arms over her chest, frowning. "What kind of problem?"

Sky crouched where she stood, pointing a finger at the ground. Liquid metal spilled out from the inside of her sleeve, forming a sharp point. She scraped it across the ground, drawing a ragged oval.

"So, when we come here, time ceases to progress. And it resumes when we leave," she said, drawing a small arrow through the oval.

Maleficent crouched as well, folding her wings gently behind her. Aurora sat down next to her, eyes following Sky's motions.

"No matter how long I stay here, I always return to the same moment in time, and the same location that I left from."

Maleficent nodded. "Yes, that is the same for me."

Sky glanced up, forehead wrinkled in thought. "So, if I open a portal, I guess we'll go to the point I left from?"

Maleficent hummed. "I can't open a portal. Not anymore. I assume we would go through yours, like Aurora came through mine."

Aurora ran a finger over her bottom lip as they spoke, curious as to how they shared this form of magic. Sky was not fae, that was for sure. And yet she and Maleficent had some powers in common.

"Well I kinda ported out with some bloodthirsty chick on my ass,' Sky shrugged, scribbling an angry face on the opposite side of the portal. "I'm not sure how I feel about her just yet. She doesn't really seem like a killer or anything. She's just been chasing me since I escaped the citadel and it hasn't been fun."

"Would she do us harm?" Maleficent asked.

"Nah. Well, me maybe. If I thought she'd hurt you I wouldn't have even suggested going there. But if we go through, I might have to lead her astray or something before meeting up with you guys again. I'm pretty good at running her in circles. We've been at it for awhile now," she laughed.

Aurora squinted, attempting to understand the smile on her face. Sky seemed... entertained at the thought of someone trying to kill her. Almost as though she were looking forward to it.

"I take it she is not much of a challenge," Maleficent raised an eyebrow.

Sky chuckled. "Oh, she can be." She scratched her head again before pulling her hood up. "I can control her for a moment as we come through, to clear a way. I wouldn't want her to accidentally beat one of you over the head on the way out."

Aurora couldn't help but laugh, even though she was a little wary about the whole situation.

"If we fly, will we be safe?" Maleficent asked.

Sky rubbed her chin. "I think she'll be startled enough just by your appearance. In her time, I just vanished. To have three people bursting out of nowhere will catch her of guard enough as it is. Then I guess... yeah. You could fly above, wait it out somewhere nearby. You still got that whistle?"

Maleficent's hand fell to her waist, where the whistle had been tied to the cord there.

"Good. Wait awhile before blowing on it. She can be annoyingly persistent. I wanna lead her far enough away that she won't be able to hear it."


	16. Luminous

Maleficent and Aurora stood side by side behind Sky, watching her as she felt around at the air as though she could sense something invisible drifting there. The three of them had spent a few moments gathering scraps of food and cloth from Sky's cache.

Sky paused, glancing at them over her shoulder. "Just in case we stay separated longer than intended..." She turned to face Aurora, dropping her arms and sliding an arm out of her coat. It clinked and jangled as she moved. She pulled it free from her, uncovering a sleeveless white top. It twisted oddly around her midsection, tucked into a wrinkled white sash tied about her waist. A flap of it fell across her front and in between her knees, much like the cloth that covered Aurora and Maleficent.

Maleficent noticed that Sky was lacking... volume in her chest. She wondered for a moment longer if she truly was only a child, or if her species simply didn't have breasts.

Sky handed her coat over to Aurora quietly, staring at it longingly as it left her fingertips.

Aurora shook her head. "No, no. I can't take your coat..."

"You'll need it. I know where I can find another. Maybe we can go together. But for now, you'll need it more. And Maleficent..." Sky continued, turning her eyes on the horned woman. Maleficent lowered her head.

"Please, I cannot accept anything more from you. We are already deeply in your debt."

"No such thing. You don't have any debt with me, so forget about it." Sky paused, undoing the sash around her waist. "I would have given you my coat, with you being in your current condition, but seeing as your wings wouldn't fit, this'll have to do."

Sky unwound the sash, unveiling its great length. She approached Maleficent, offering her one end of the sash.

"Tuck this end into your cord there, that's right. At your side."

Maleficent did, then glanced up at Sky for further direction. Sky walked around her backside, tightening the fabric around her waist and draping it in between her wings and over one shoulder. She came back around her front and offered the piece to her again.

"Now across your.. Yep." Sky laughed as Maleficent concealed her breasts with the cloth before chuckling and passing it off to Sky again. Sky walked around her backside once more before reaching her front again, passing it to Maleficent one more time. "There you go. Now back down the front."

Maleficent tucked the remaining piece into the cord at her front, looking down at herself to admire their handiwork. It was quite comfortable, and strangely warm. The fabric kept her body heat well. The look of the white and red sash draped over her skin was something she could get used to.

She glanced up at Aurora as she finished pulling the second sleeve of Sky's coat on. It was tighter-fitting then it had been on Sky. Her thighs and red sash peeked out from in between the front flaps. She pulled the hood up over her head, giggling.

"I like it a lot," Aurora smiled, looking Maleficent up and down. Her eyes flashed a little as she did; Maleficent understood the meaning behind that look well. She smirked a little.

"You don't look too terrible yourself, beastie."

Sky chuckled, untying a golden, bowl-shaped piece of metal from around her waist. She cupped it against one shoulder before buckling it in place. Maleficent realized it was some kind of armor.

She raised her arm again. Liquid metal oozed out of her very pores, spilling out into the air around her arm and solidifying. It was mesmerizing to watch. Although Maleficent had magic of her own, she had never seen anything quite like what Sky could do.

"May I?" Maleficent asked, reaching out toward it. Sky arched her eyebrow, nodding.

Maleficent leaned in, closing the distance between her fingertips and the strange metallic substance. She waited, expecting the burning sensation, looking for the glow of orange as she approached. But it didn't come. She touched it, and it was cool like water, though not wet.

"It's not metal," Maleficent said aloud. Aurora approached as well, watching the movements of the strange substance with bright eyes.

"No, not metal," Sky laughed. She reached her other arm up and into the air, scooping her fingertips through the open space. More silver liquid pulled out of thin air, sifting across the breeze and into her open palm. "I'm not sure what it is, actually. But I can find it everywhere. In everything."

The air rippled around them, vibrating and whirring where Sky focused her energy. Maleficent pulled her hand away, placing it instead against Aurora's waist.

The air whirled against the silver, forming a strange, rippling whirlpool. It opened further, and Sky reached into it, shifting her fingers against the material. She looked back at Maleficent and Aurora, reaching out.

"Take my hand. Form a chain."

Maleficent caught her hand, holding Aurora closely to her side. She gripped her fingers in her own. Aurora's palm was sweaty. She looked back at the girl, blushing at the soft coils of golden hair that grazed her bare shoulder. She looked older in her new garb. More mature, mysterious even. Maleficent smiled at her, squeezing her hand tightly. Aurora grinned in return, her eyes bright and piercing. They were suddenly bluer than Maleficent had ever seen, powerful and swirling.

Maleficent's body lurched; Aurora and Sky's grip pulled taut against her own. She could feel the very fibers of their muscles tensing against the pressure of the portal's void. The ground evaporated from beneath her feet. She spread her wings, holding Aurora tightly to her body as they rushed through nothingness.

They burst forward into hot air and red, swirling sand. It stung Maleficent's eyes. She held a hand up to brace herself against the shock of it, realizing that Sky's hand had dropped away from her. She had rushed ahead of them, silver rippling along her sides in slow motion.

Time suddenly crawled; the whirling sand stilled in the air around them.

Maleficent could make out the armored torso of a girl Sky's height. She was dressed in vibrant, golden plates and rippling red fabric. It whipped at her back and waist excruciatingly slow. A small, shield-like crest lay clasped against her chest. Further up, a shining golden mask came down over her face just short of her lips. It was plated like that of a carapace, like the underbelly of some giant, armored beetle.

Her skin was tan and sleek in the desert air. Vibrant, phoenix-red hair flared out behind her in great lengths, gold-tipped like the blazing sun high above them.

Sky was stark white against the red landscape. She turned, unaffected by the slowed atmosphere. She grinned back at Maleficent and Aurora.

"Fly!" Her voice rang out around them. She drew her hands inward, fingers gripping at the hot air as though actually clasping at something there. The wind and sand, the armored redhead girl, the air itself all sucked inward in that moment as though magnetized.

Time flowed once more, gradually speeding up and whirring all around them.

Maleficent exploded into the air at Sky's command, gripping Aurora tightly. Aurora clamped her arms and legs around Maleficent as she pumped her wings, carrying them farther and farther into the sky before pausing to look back down.

Sky weaved in and out of the air like a phantom, completely evaporating before materializing a short distance away in another direction. The redhead spun on her feet. Liquid metal spilled away from her, elongating into a massive, spinning lance. It cut into the air with a heavy whirring sound.

"She's like her," Aurora yelled above the flurry of wind and sand, gripping onto Maleficent's shoulder as she slowly beat her wings, steadying herself.

The redhead laughed far below them, pausing to glance up at where they hovered high above her. Her lips curled into an impetuous smirk before focusing on Sky again.

"Te katakan emah," she chuckled, spinning her lance around with heavy whirring sounds. She followed after Sky steadily, purposefully. Magnetically.

"Go on!" Sky called out to them. "I'll find you! Don't go far!" She evaporated again, reappearing several yards away. The redhead dashed toward her, head low. Red sand exploded all around her as she ran, hellbent on sticking Sky on the end of her lance.

"She's going to be alright... Right?" Aurora asked, catching Maleficent's eyes.

Sky vanished again, reappearing behind the redhead. A massive pulse of energy knocked her forward, clattering into the sand. Her lance flew away from her. She reached out, calling it back to her outstretched hands. Before she could even stand back up, Sky had disappeared again, dashing further out in front of her and laughing. She spoke to the redhead in her foreign tongue, clearly provoking the girl.

"I think she has everything under control," Maleficent smiled.

"What're you guys waiting for? Get outta here!" Sky yelled again, her voice far away now.

Maleficent obliged, carrying Aurora further into the sky, higher and higher until the scratching sand subsided and the air grew still and cool around them. Broad, red mountains towered across the landscape, hazy in the distance. Massive plateaus stretched out below them. Tiny green oases dotted the desert here and there.

Aurora pointed to the nearest one. "How about there? With the water?"

Just the thought of fresh water had Maleficent aching for it. She swung Aurora up and into her arms, legs dangling over the side of one arm. The tails of Sky's coat tickled her thighs. Aurora giggled, kissing her lightly on the jaw.

Maleficent clenched at Aurora's legs, skin tingling where Aurora's lips grazed her.

"I'll take you wherever you wish, my beautiful beastie," Maleficent cooed. She expanded her winds around them, letting the wind catch and push at them. She soared, spiraling gently down into the draft. She reveled in Aurora's proximity, her tickling mane of gold, the sound of her breath catching with each beat of her wings.

She felt free again.


	17. Oasis

_Here's a short update. I really wish I could have written more but I've been ridiculously tired all day. Just trying to keep up with the daily updates. Enjoy the brief alone time between Maleficent and Aurora. :]_

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Maleficent beat her wings steadily, silently descending on the oasis below. It ripped into the desert landscape like an open wound, bleeding a vibrant green into the harsh, copper red dunes. Tiny, feathery plants sprouted up from the green, dotting the edges of a crisp pool. They swayed lightly in the wind, carrying an alluring scent.

Aurora lowered herself from Maleficent's arms. Maleficent touched with the ground shortly after, brushing her feet along the soothing grass. She was once again reminded of the moors. A quick glance around brought her back to reality, however.

Sharp, protruding rocks shot up from the surrounding grass, as red as the hot sands that expanded out around them. They were ragged and oddly shaped, nothing like the stones that she had found in the previous world. The mountains and plateaus were still vivid and looming against the skyline.

Maleficent exhaled a long breath of air, closing her eyes briefly to inhale the scent around her, losing herself in the quiet of the place. She opened her eyes again, trailing her eyes up along Aurora's backside where she stood, twirling slowly in place, taking in her surroundings.

She smiled as she turned back around to face Maleficent, coattails swirling and clicking against the backs of her legs. Golden hair flitted out against the bottom of her chin and neck, swaying softly in the warm air. She smiled, squinting her eyes into the sun as she focused on Maleficent. She bit at her lower lip, failing to conceal the small smile that formed there.

Her eyes lit up strangely; Maleficent could have sworn that they almost glowed. They shimmered against the blazing sun as she neared Maleficent, buckles clinking.

Without saying a single word, she gripped Maleficent by her exposed hip, reeling her in close and grazing her lips over Maleficent's, emitting a shuddering sigh.

"You have no idea how long I've been waiting to finally be alone with you again," she murmured into her lips. Her hair breezed into Maleficent's neck, tickling at her skin. Maleficent shivered, leaning back again to gaze into her icy eyes, studying every little particle of light that resided there. They were especially vibrant, and Aurora's gaze alone had her heart thudding powerfully, reverberating in her abdomen.

"I think I have an idea," Maleficent chuckled, lowering her eyes to where Aurora's hand rested on her hip. She slid against her, closing her eyes at the feeling. Aurora clasped her hand in response, inclining her head to kiss at the side of Maleficent's neck.

She trailed the tip of her tongue there, pausing to nip at the skin. Maleficent's eyes shot open at the gesture. Her skin prickled along her arms and the back of her neck, causing her to shiver outwardly. Aurora smiled at her reaction, gliding her fingers through the hair that cascaded down the middle of her back.

She lowered her hand further, suddenly gripping at the base of Maleficent's wings, curling her fingers into the soft feathers. Maleficent jumped at the sensation. Her muscles tensed and tingled beneath her touches, still unexplainably sensitive after all the years that had passed. It was as though they could never forget what had happened.

Aurora sucked at her neck, pulling softly at her skin before dragging her tongue along the prickled skin.

"Why Maleficent... you've got goosebumps," she teased, smirking as she glanced sidelong into Maleficent's half-lidded eyes.

"That is strange," Maleficent played along, "I wonder why that could be." She paused, glancing up and down at Aurora as if just barely noticing her presence. "Goodness, it appears as though there is a beastie ravaging my poor, sensitive body! I do wonder if she's aware of the terribly vulnerable state I am in!"

Aurora pressed her forehead into the crook of Maleficent's neck, shoulders shaking in silent laughter.

"Ravaging? I'm hardly ravaging you," she pulled away again, gripping onto the base of Maleficent's wing and ridged hip. She gazed longingly into Maleficent's face, trailing her eyes across her jaw and lips, finally landing on her eyes.

Her eyes lit up again. Maleficent was sure of it- they had glowed. She blinked in surprise, opening her mouth to say something.

Aurora pressed a finger to her lips, a small smirk forming. Maleficent's eyes glued themselves there.

"Though I can ravage you if you like," she purred.

A heat like no other soared to Maleficent's loins as though by some sort of chemical reaction. She bolted upright, hyper aware of how instantaneously hard she'd become. Her cheeks blazed under Aurora's intense gaze, still completely baffled that she had so much control over her body.

"Beastie," she uttered, startled. Aurora's smirk grew into a grin. Startlingly white teeth bit at her lower lip. Maleficent felt her grip closing in on her harder still, pressing closer into her until she was flesh against her stiff center. She grazed at it, sliding the red fabric off to the side. She slid against her with her bare inner thigh, chuckling softly at Maleficent's shaky exhale.

"Would you like that?" Aurora purred again. Maleficent throbbed at her question.

Aurora leaned into her again, grazing her cheek along Maleficent's before biting softly onto her lower lip, drawing it slowly in between her teeth to suck at the smooth skin. She raked her nails softly down Maleficent's exposed thighs as she did, grinding softly into her.

"I think I would like that," Maleficent admitted, short on breath. Aurora's body had her insides positively writhing and pounding.

Aurora smirked again, eyes flashing. Her hand parted from her hip to join the other at Maleficent's back, sliding up and down along the feathers and muscles where they joined with smooth skin. Maleficent flexed at the attention, parting her wings enough to fluff the air up around them.

Aurora's lips were on hers again. She bit and sucked onto Maleficent's lower lip insistently, running the tip of her tongue against Maleficent's with dizzying urgency. She stepped toward her slowly, moving her backwards toward one of the rust-red rocks. Maleficent's back met with it.

Aurora pulled back from her briefly, flitting her eyes downward between them before snapping upward again. Her breaths were labored, her lips and cheeks pink.

She grazed her fingers down along the smooth expanse of skin, cupping her hands along Maleficent's backside and giving a soft squeeze. Maleficent groaned, bucking lightly into Aurora's thigh.

Aurora smoothed her palms along Maleficent's waist in response. She lowered herself onto her knees, bracing herself against Maleficent's thighs as she went. Maleficent's heart battered in her chest, watching her through half-lidded eyes. Aurora's breath was on her suddenly, warming and tickling her thighs.

"Aura," she warned, visibly tensing at the situation she had somehow ended up in again.

Aurora glanced up at her, narrowing her eyes as though daring her to say anything more. The usual ice there seemed to melt away into white-blue flames. Maleficent struggled to breathe for a moment. She had never before seen such a predatory look in the young woman's eyes.

She smirked at Maleficent's stunned silence, lowering her head again to kiss at Maleficent's tightening loins, trailing her lips along the smooth skin. She cupped her tongue along Maleficent's tip, gently sliding against her in smooth circles before enveloping her in her mouth. She sucked at her long and hard, clawing along Maleficent's hips and thighs.

Maleficent cried out, immediately stifling her sounds on a balled fist, leaning back into the rock behind her forcibly. Aurora continued to slide the tip of her tongue along her shaft, occasionally closing her lips around her and suctioning onto her again.

Maleficent quaked beneath her. Her knees wobbled dangerously; she lowered herself onto the ground, sinking into Aurora's outstretched arms. The girl was on her in an instant, chewing at the skin along the side of her neck with an urgency that almost scared Maleficent.

She was scorching hot. Heat wafted off of her in heavy waves, and for a split second Maleficent thought of the burning iron that would flare up whenever she neared it. She loomed over Maleficent where she lay, panting slightly in her exertion.

"Aura," Maleficent managed to utter between gasps. "As much as I am enjoying your ravaging, shouldn't we be calling Sky by now?"

Aurora groaned, muscles visibly giving out as she ducked her head against Maleficent's collarbone.

"Yes," she ground out as though it pained her. "But you had better be prepared to finish this later," she went on, raising her head to pierce her with her vibrant gaze yet again. Maleficent shivered at the look, attempting to pat down the flap of red fabric against her core. She suddenly hated having external genitalia. She grimaced; glancing down at its obviousness.

"Perhaps we can wait just a bit longer... at least until this goes away."


	18. Wanderer

_I am absolutely stunned with how many people love Sky. I'm sure it's every fan fiction writer's dream to see their readers interested in their OC. I decided to do a chapter from Sky's perspective before she reunites with Maleficent and Aurora. I'm sure it will raise more questions than it answers, but hopefully it pleases all of you who have been really wanting to know more about her._

_Again, thank you all so much for reading and enjoying my story. There's still a lot more to be told. And I still have a lot of practicing to do. Enjoy the update!_

_- DB_

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Sky floated along in the air ahead of her pursuer, flicking in and out of existence in quick flashes of silver. The air crackled around her as she moved, lighting up her prickling skin in blue, electric flashes. She led the girl around in a circle yet again, grinning as she twirled on her feet.

The girl grimaced into the scorching sand, baring a set of pointed teeth. Her hair fluttered out behind her like long, crackling flames, blending into the sea of red around her.

"Quit running!" she spat, gripping at her lance where it shined in her hands. She tensed her arm, lashing it upright and hurling the weapon through the air. Sky transported herself once again, snatching the weapon up in one hand before slinging it back to the redhead, chuckling.

"You missed," Sky mocked, slanting her eyes.

The girl's lips tightened as she tensed her jaw, visibly quaking at Sky's ridicule. She gripped at the metal, knuckles whitening.

"What's wrong? Afraid to get close?" she jeered. "I'll be gentle with you, little coward." She motioned Sky toward her with a single beckoning finger.

Sky frowned, slowing to a halt and hovering a few inches from the earth. She clenched her fists at her sides, glowering across the flurry of sand and into the dark, empty eyes of her masked assailant.

"I'm not a coward," she argued, cheeks flushed. "I just don't like fighting you," Her palms sweat against her tightening fingers, muscles growing taut with every little movement the girl made. She was prepared for any surprises she might have had for her, having already been accustomed to her methods.

"You don't like to fight?" she scoffed in return, lip curling beneath the golden mask. "But you liked fighting before. You like killing." she pressed on, making slow steps forward. Her boots kicked up the sand, dragging over the parched dirt just beneath the surface.

"No," Sky fought, shaking her head. "I don't."

"But you do," the girl argued, voice quaking. She came closer still, red cape and sash snapping sharply in the wind. "You killed all those people. They told me everything. How you smothered them. Drowned out their breaths as though they were nothing. As if they were utterly insignificant to you." She sneered again, spinning her lance once at her side. It whirred heavily, humming at the air.

Sky's muscles tensed harder as she came within a few feet of her. Her nails cut into the palm of her hand, fists shaking, every fiber of her being wanting nothing more than to knock the girl flat and silence her forever.

"Don't pretend like you understand a thing about me," Sky challenged, voice dangerously low.

Her head swam with memories, of stiff bodies glistening within massive bands of silver, hands outstretched and fingers frozen mid-grasp.

She shook, biting the inside of her lip. "You weren't there. You don't know a fucking thing. YOU WEREN'T THERE!" she belted out, driving herself forward in an explosion of silver. Particles of it vibrated along her sides, screeching through the air like the screams of some phantom bird. The sound of it thudded at her eardrums, reverberating in the pit of her stomach.

She hooked the girl by her midsection, slinging her high up over her head before bringing her crashing down against the earth. Sand flew up around her in clouds as she rolled over, coughing and winded.

Sky turned to face her again, teeth bared. Silver burst out of her spine, expanding out of her like some sort of massive serpent. It licked at the air, feeling around at their surroundings of its own free will. It forked along behind her, weaving around the side of her body and snaking out atop the ground.

The girl drew in a sharp breath, lifting her head to gaze back up at Sky where she towered over her. A large crack glistened against the side of her mask, revealing a tiny sliver of the golden skin that lay beneath it.

"I didn't need to be there," she explained between gasps of air, clutching at her ribs. "It's not hard to believe. Look at yourself."

Sky froze, jaw tight. Her eyes burned, shooting fire down her throat and into her stomach. The silver at her side slicked along the ground, closing in on the armored girl. It flicked along the side of her body as it moved.

"I didn't mean to." A sob broke away from Sky's lips and she tensed up, immediately sucking in a breath of air and steadying her shaking hands. "I couldn't control it."

The girl sat further up where she braced herself against the earth. She eyed the silver serpent apprehensively as it swayed above her. It inched toward her, licking at the golden armor that decorated her chest and shoulders.

"You can't even control it now," she challenged, but her voice cracked. She remained focused on the metallic entity, edging backward into the sand and clasping at her own weapon. "There's a reason they had you locked up."

Sky clenched her fist again, baring her teeth. Her hair flared out behind her as silver rippled out along her sides again, lifting her up. She thought of her cold prison, the awful pain in her limbs and organs, the hot, white flashes that blinded her. She thought of the way her body convulsed, electrified, her insides vibrating and on fire. She thought of all the eyeless faces peering in on her where she could barely move, barely breathe, trapped behind glass as though on display.

The serpent lashed out unexpectedly, bashing itself against the armored girl's masked face with a loud cracking sound. Sky leapt at the attack, recoiling. She watched as it reared up again, poised to strike.

The girl rolled onto her side again, gasping heavily. Her mask slid off along her jaw, split in two. Sky's breath caught as it unveiled the girl's slender jaw and curved, pointed nose. Spiraling, golden eyes caught hers in that moment, drawing deep on her own. She became suddenly mesmerized, stomach twisting. Her heart sank into the pit of her belly. She fell to her knees, tears stinging at her eyes.

It was her- her home, her life. The one face that she could remember, of all things. Her lips, her eyes, the thin arch of her brows, the faint freckles just above her cheekbones. For a long time, this was the face Sky would see as she fell asleep at night, all she could focus on to dull the wracking pain she had been made to endure. She had always lasted, forcing herself to resist long enough, survive long enough to meet her again.

The serpent rose up again, rippling and pooling along the ground beneath the girl. It shook, tensing up for another strike.

"Stop!" Sky suddenly screamed, reaching out to it. It froze at the sound of her voice, convulsing in the air. "Stop... Don't hurt her!" She choked on her own words, gasping at the sight of the girl flinching away from her. She had never wanted to see that look on her face, had never fathomed being the focus of that pained expression.

Gold eyes caught hers again, fearful and confused. She scrambled backward along the sand, attempting to get as far away from Sky as she could without inciting the serpent's wrath.

The thing collapsed in an instant; the wind shredded it into a thousand tiny, silver particles. They combusted into fine ash before breezing away, leaving nothing but a cool breeze in its wake.

"I know you," Sky said in a hushed voice, holding her hand out in front of her carefully. "Don't you recognize me?"

The girl furrowed her eyebrows, looking almost angry at the thought. She clenched her jaw and rose to her knees, not daring to look away. She stabbed her weapon into the earth to steady herself before squinting into Sky's face.

"You can't be serious," she uttered, backing slowly away with her staff held out in front of her.

Sky's heart plummeted at her response, her body suddenly aching all over. Her muscles loosened as she leaned limply into the sand. Red dust slid up over her knees, staining at the white cloth of her pants. She couldn't contain the hot tears that escaped her, trickling down along her jaw. They were molten, setting fire to her skin.

She lowered her head, not wanting the girl to see.

A silence fell between them for a long time. Sky was terrified to look back up again, worried at what she might find. Perhaps she was still fixed on her with painfully sad eyes, or even worse, that revolted grimace.

She was revolted by her. Disgusted.

Sky fought back another sob, shaking at the hard knot that formed in her throat. The one person in all the world that she had so desired to find again... hated her.

A sharp trill echoed across the landscape, so far away that Sky almost wasn't sure what it was. Her ears twitched; she glanced up at the sound, remembering-

"Maleficent. Aurora."

Her eyes darted, sweeping the vicinity. The redhead had vanished, leaving nothing but fast-disappearing footprints in the sliding sands. Her heart ached again, thudding away in the tightness of her throat. She swallowed, failing to ease the pressure there.

She had never felt more alone in that instant. There was no one waiting for her at the end of her journey, no long-awaited answers, and no faraway home. It was all for nothing.


	19. Voltaic

_I'm doing my best to listen to your reviews. I would like to give you what you want to see while still sticking with the plot I have planned out. So far I have seen wishes to know more about Sky, see Aurora become stronger, and see Maleficent's baby. It will be a while before we see the baby, so I'll be working on the other two. Another long-awaited smut scene shall be in the works soon as well, so I hope you are are still interested enough to get to the good stuff, haha._

I do have an actual end planned out for this story, so don't worry, it won't just keep going on forever (or even worse, just stop abruptly.) So keep on letting me know what you like, what you want to see more of, and I'll do my best to make you guys happy. You're all lovely people and I love hearing what you think about the story! 

_- DB_

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Flecks of copper sand skated up along the folds of Sky's shirt and pants where she lay curled on her side. The desert brushed over her like a fading footprint, slowly blanketing her in the scratchy ash. She blinked, staring blankly into it as she curled and uncurled her fingers against the cooling earth.

The sun had begun to dip into the horizon, casting a comforting darkness across the ground. She could lay there forever, simply drift off, and perhaps awake somewhere else. As someone else.

There came a soft flapping noise from above her. The sound was familiar, though she didn't care to look up. Her mouth was dry and she was tired. She let her eyelids ease shut. They were like terrible, burning weights, suddenly too heavy to lift back up.

Wind rushed around her. There came a soft thud, followed by another, then a gasp.

"Sky!"

There were hands on her, smoothing over her shoulder and lifting her chin up. A thumb pulled back one of her eyelids and she reached up, smacking the offending digit away.

"Sky! Are you hurt? What happened?"

It was Aurora's voice. Sky clenched her jaw, summoning all her strength to lift herself up onto her elbow. She gazed up at them with bleary eyes, catching the silhouette of massive, folded wings and a pair of curving horns.

She groaned, rolling back over in the sand.

"I don't see any injuries," Maleficent murmured. A gentle hand graced her heated forehead. She leaned into it instinctively, never having felt another living thing touch her with such tenderness before.

"I'm fine," Sky griped. "Quit fussing."

She sat up, shaking sand loose from her shirt. She sat hunched over with her legs stretched straight out in front of her for a moment, drooping her head against her chest in exhaustion.

"Good battle, I assume?" Maleficent inquired.

Sky glanced up at her, shielding her eyes where the descending sun blazed around their shadowy forms. Aurora sat crouched in front of her, eyebrows furrowed. She parted her lips a bit as she focused on Sky, prodding up and down at her leg to see if she was alright.

"I thought I told you guys to fly away," Sky groaned again, rubbing at her forehead.

"I thought you said you'd come find us. We called and called with your whistle. Did you not hear it?"

There were suddenly hands lifting her up by her elbows and gripping her underneath her arms. She slid across the ground on her knees for a moment before forcing herself to stand up, not entirely stable. She dizzied, leaning heavily into warm hands.

"It took us forever to find you. What happened?" Aurora asked again. Sky finally looked back up at them, blinking back the crust that had formed in the corners of her eyes. Their eyes were bright and probing, searching. Worried. It was a look she wasn't used to seeing. Fear, maybe. Hate, of course. But genuine concern? Never.

She darted her eyes between the two, wetting her dry lips. "We fought for awhile. She's gone now."

"Did you beat her?" Aurora probed further, blue eyes lighting up expectantly.

"Give her a moment, beastie." Maleficent soothed, sliding a hand along Aurora's side before draping one of Sky's arms over her shoulder and leading her forward. Aurora took Sky's other arm. They were both so tall that Sky could barely graze at the sand with the tip of her boots.

She was capable of walking herself, she just couldn't find the strength to. She didn't want to move. She would have laid there in the sand forever had she been allowed. It was strange to be carried, not in capture but in aid.

"She needs water," Maleficent spoke to Aurora in a hushed voice above her. Sky let her eyelids fall shut, head low. Her chin brushed at the folds of her shirt as they moved. Every so often a soft feather would graze her arm.

"I see green over there," Aurora replied. She shifted against Sky, lifting her further up. "She's so tiny," she mused aloud.

"I can hear you," Sky grunted in response, tensing her arms. There came a low chuckle. She frowned at it, lifting her chin to gaze up at them. Little shimmers of blue light emanated from Maleficent's midsection. The same blue glinted off Aurora's eyes in the dying light. It glimmered brightly for just a moment before fading back into her ordinary hues. It reminded Sky of the bright blue lights in her mask.

The remaining shimmers of gold that flecked the horizon slowly eased away, blanketing the sky in deep blues and purples. Stars shined brightly there, clustered together against bands of smooth, cloudy swirls. Every so often a tiny meteoroid would break the atmosphere, sparking across the black for a fleeting moment before fading.

Strange sounds echoed out across the landscape in the fresh night air, weaving in and out of the breeze eerily. Sky wasn't entirely sure what they were; she had never heard them before. She craned her head, twitching her ears at the sounds. Maleficent met her gaze, shooting a tense look down her chest at her.

"Sky, what is that?"

Sky shook her head, letting it fall again. "I don't know."

The sounds became louder. As they grew nearer, Sky realized that it was the sound of many voices, all screaming and shouting at once. She could see that Maleficent realized it at the same time; her head shot up and her muscles went rigid. She flared her nostrils at the sounds, focusing on the horizon intently.

"What's going on?" Aurora asked.

Fire flickered somewhere in the distance, reflecting an orange light off the surrounding rocks. A massive, serpentine shadow reared up from the outcrop, expanding several strange, knotted appendages from the sides of its body. It craned its head back and belted out a spectral screech. The earth itself shook with its reverberations.

Screams raked the air. Aurora dropped Sky's arm and bolted ahead of them, sprinting toward the uproar.

"Aura!" Maleficent cried, lowering Sky's arm from her shoulder. "Hold on- " Sky met with the ground, staring aimlessly ahead of her as Maleficent beat her wings, racing after the girl.

Sky staggered to her feet, shaking off her vertigo. She eased forward, moving after them. She stared ahead, watching as Aurora clambered up the edge of one of the rocky outcrops to get a better view of what was going on.

The shadow became more and more clear as Sky neared it. It thrashed its body at whatever it was attacking below the rocks, so fast that Sky's eyes could barely register its movements. Some kind of slick, armored carapace crowned the top half of its lengthy body. Twisting, gnarled horns exploded from the top of its head. Shearing mandibles clacked at the air as it swung its head in an arc. It looked like some kind of enormous, armored centipede.

Sky came upon the clearing shortly after Aurora and Maleficent, gripping onto the rocks and pulling herself up next to them to glance down at the commotion.

Dozens of people stood at the base of the monster, wielding long staves and spears. They wore red-brown hooded capes, some of which were decorated with plated armor and fur. Their arms were long and bare, even double-jointed. Sky recognized them instantly and sneered, flashing her fangs at the sight of them.

"They need help," Aurora rushed, the muscles in her arms tensing visibly as she gripped at the rocks. "They need our help!"

"Fuck them," Sky snarled, squinting her eyes at the carnage.

The beast dipped its head toward the earth, snagging one of them by its arm and heaving it upward. The man spun in the air for a brief moment before hitting the ground again with a sickening thud. He rolled onto his side, winded. Aurora flinched next to her, biting at the inside of her lip. Tears stung her eyes.

Sky caught Maleficent staring sidelong at her, her eyes questioning, probing.

"I cannot help them. Not against that. Not like this," Maleficent explained, her voice pleading.

Sky understood what they were asking of her, and she couldn't- wouldn't do it.

"Fuck them all," she ground out again, squeezing her hand into a fist. The rock bit at her knuckles. She watched the massacre with a kind of sick pleasure, lips tight.

The monster swerved again, ripping aside a whole crowd of people with an upended tail. It walked across them, thudding heavy claws into their arms and legs, drawing shrieks from them as it went. It came upon a group of them huddled tightly together in the corner of the gully, rasping at the air as it went. It dipped its horns, rushing headlong into them. They scattered as it razed through, flinging them against sharp rocks.

A small figure darted out from in between the others, skittering headlong into the beast's snapping mandibles. He was young, not even half as tall as the others around him. Sky had never seen a young one before.

He careened into the monster, skidding sideways as he tried to avoid the gnashing maw. It gripped onto his arm and yanked him upward, screaming.

His hood fell down onto his shoulders, unveiling charcoal-black skin and magnetic, galactic eyes. Sky had never even seen one without their characteristically faceless mask, let alone their eyes. It surprised her that they were just like hers.

There were three slits where his nose should have been, flaring and gasping at the air. His eyes drew wide, frightened. He shrieked again, kicking his legs out at the mandibles as they attempted to draw him in.

Aurora bolted in that instant, flinging herself up over the edge of the sharp rocks, coat fluttering and clinking at her legs as she ran down the side and into the clearing.

"AURA!" Maleficent screamed, leaping into the air after her.

Blue, radiant light cut through the air, igniting the entire gully. Threads of silver slicked out of the air around Aurora. They glimmered in the blue light, forking out at the monster with jagged, electric lengths.

They crashed through the armored carapace, liquifying its body as it progressed. Blue, molten silver fell from it in heavy spheres, crashing against the rock below and erupting into hundreds of tiny drifting sparks.

Another slick of metal swerved out to catch the boy as the monster howled, flinging him to the ground. It smoothed out against his body, cushioning him above the rock. He gasped, chest heaving, lifting his head to stare around with gaping eyes.

Lengths of Aurora's silver-blue energy continued to feed into the monster in mid air, pumping its belly full of the molten light. The creature went rigid, its screams gargling to a halt at the base of its throat. The mandibles twitched slowly as the length of its body drooped slowly to the ground. It grew still after an agonizingly long moment, expelling a final rasping breath.


	20. Alien

_Aaaand chapter 20! If you made it this far, congrats! Honestly I can't believe this story has stretched on for as long as it has. I originally intended for it to be a short, sexy banging scene, but I just haven't written in so long that I just wanted to keep going._

_I posted 19 and 20 together because 19 just ends with too many open questions. Thank you for waiting longer than usual for the update, I hope you enjoy both chapters. And again, let me know what you would like to see in the reviews, and I'll do my best to fit it in with the plot I have set up. Thanks guys!_

_- DB_

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Aurora gasped, tripping forward onto her knees as the entity evaporated from around her, slicking back into her very pores. Her heart raced, pounding violently in her chest. Maleficent landed beside her, flapping up red dust.

She was on her in an instant, holding her around her shoulders, pressing so tightly into her that Aurora thought she might not be able to breathe. Tears strained at her eyes as she lifted her head to gaze into Maleficent's terrified face.

"Why?" she sobbed, pulling her into another breathtaking hug. "Why? Don't ever- " she sobbed again, pressing her cheek against her ear. Her skin was feverish.

"I'm sorry," Aurora pleaded, wrapping her arms around Maleficent's lower back and reeling her in. She dipped her lips against the side of her neck, kissing her gently. "I was so scared for him. I thought, for a moment... what if that was our child? I couldn't let him die." Her voice shook. She squeezed at Maleficent's skin, inhaling her scent and shuddering, so relieved that she was still alive. She couldn't even believe what she had done.

"How did you- ?" Maleficent shivered, pulling away to gaze into her eyes. The golds and greens in them reflected Aurora's own shimmering blues. Aurora jumped at the vividness of her eyes.

"I don't know." Aurora dipped her head against her chest again, repeating the words over and over again. "I don't know. I just knew I could do something. I can't explain it."

She lifted her head to gaze over Maleficent's shoulder, across the clearing and at Sky where she still clutched at the rocks, utter disbelief in her eyes. She met her gaze, open-mouthed. Aurora had used the same energy Sky had power over. She didn't know how, or why. But she did.

Aurora reached out a shaking hand, calling Sky down from the cliffside with a little wave of her hand. Sky shook slightly as she got to her feet, eyes darting around at all the people that surrounded them. Maleficent looked up at them in that moment, too.

They had lowered their hoods as they approached, throwing down their staves and bowing. The boy stood before all of them, gripping his cloak tightly around his body. Aurora furrowed her eyebrows as she studied him.

His face was wrinkled and ridged, but his eyes were wide and bright. Spiraling galaxies resided within them, similar to Sky's. He didn't have a nose or mouth, only three slits that stretched vertically down the center of his face. They flared and sealed rapidly as he neared her, visibly nervous. Afraid, even.

He was mostly bald, with a strange, disc-shaped protrusion that jutted just barely along the top of his head and brow. Fluffy, black hair grew out along the top of his head and back of his neck. It looked almost like fur.

He reached out toward her with an upturned palm. His fingers were short, having only one knuckle, though his thumb had two. He emitted a strange, whirring sound, trilling at the air in anticipation.

"He says thanks," Sky translated. Aurora glanced over at her where she now stood just a few feet away, shoulders hunched. She glowered at the creatures around her, though the vehemence that was in her voice earlier had gone. She sounded sad, confused. Lost, even.

Aurora took the boy's hand. He clasped at her fingers, raising his other hand to drag the pad of his thumb across the texture of her palm. He gazed back up into her eyes again, shuffling a pair of thumbed feet nervously.

An older one approached, raising one elongated arm to touch the boy's shoulder, squeezing it gently. His face was darker, and even more wrinkled, but his eyes were just as bright and appreciative. He extended a hand to her as well, bowing his head.

And then Aurora was surrounded; they came from all sides and were reaching, touching her, bowing their heads, thanking her with the same strange whirring sounds.

Maleficent never budged from her side. She leaned into her more as they approached, gripping at her protectively, wings flared out behind them. Her eyes darted around at them as they moved in and out, taking turns holding Aurora's hands, smoothing their fingers along her skin, leaning in to peer into her bright eyes.

The boy approached a second time, taking her hand in his and giving it a light tug. He glanced over his shoulder and across the gully, pointing a finger. He whistled and trilled, opening and closing the strange slits.

"He wants us to come with them," Sky translated again, voice low.

"Should we?" Maleficent asked her. Aurora knew what she was thinking. Sky clearly hated these creatures. She didn't understand why, but she could see that potentially leading to... issues.

"Sky?" Aurora raised her eyebrows at the girl, unsure.

Sky stared off for a moment before meeting her gaze, nodding slowly. "They aren't like the ones I knew." She lowered her head again, squeezing her hand into a fist and releasing it. She shuffled toward them, flinching as she grazed the creatures on the way.

She met Aurora's eyes again, eyebrows furrowed. Her eyes were soft, sad. Guilty.

"I'm so sorry, Aurora. I shoulda helped. I- "

"Don't be sorry," Aurora interrupted her. The boy squeezed at her hand again; she glanced down at him, meeting his bright gaze. "Let's go with them. They seem friendly. Is that okay?"

Sky closed her lips, nodding slightly. "The uh... the stuff for your nausea, Maleficent. We were going to be stealing it from them anyway," she admitted guiltily, shifting her boot against the rock. "Maybe I can do the right thing and ask them for some instead."

Maleficent chuckled. "I would be most grateful. You can't imagine how hungry I am right now."


	21. Feral

Fire scorched across the air in wild, circular movements above Aurora where she sat cross-legged beside Maleficent and Sky. The hooded people had taken them to their home: an expansive cave with a high ceiling and bioluminescent walls. Stalactites and stalagmites came together to form bumpy columns. They dotted the entire inside of the cave, some of which were lit with hot torches or decorated with wooden masks and strings of fabric.

A large bonfire blazed in the midst of it all, expelling whirling clouds of smoke that drifted along the ceiling, through winding tunnels and into the outside world. The creatures danced around it, whirring and clicking their strange voices as they moved, stomping and twisting their feet into the damp cavern floor, squelching up mud along the slick rocks.

The boy Aurora had rescued sat next to her, tapping his thumbed foot against the ground and bobbing his head along to thumping drums and stringed, electric instruments that vibrated all around them. Every so often a caped man would approach, sliding an enormous bowl of dried fruits and sugary foods in their direction before thumping off again to join the fray.

"This is bizarre," Maleficent half laughed, holding some kind of sweet fruit to her lips, softly chewing. Aurora found herself tapping her fingers to the drums as well, not being able to help herself. She wondered if it was a human thing, to want to dance, or for her body to respond the way that it did. Sky and Maleficent sat unusually still, glancing around at all the commotion as though they were simply studying the event.

"I didn't know they danced and shit," Sky mused, chewing idly. She glanced sidelong at Maleficent. "How's your stomach? You holding out alright?"

"We shall see," Maleficent chuckled. Sky had done as she suggested, and asked the caped people for their medicine. They had given it willingly and without question, before proceeding to ignite their fires and throw together a feast. Aurora wondered if this was something they did often or if it really was a celebration for her act of kindness. Either way, it was something truly worth seeing and enjoying.

It was wild, primal even, and she found herself dizzying at the sounds, mesmerized by the massive flames and heat. She leaned against Maleficent, cradling her head into the crook of her neck and slanting her eyes into the heated flames, smiling warmly.

She tapped her fingers lightly along the horned woman's arm, glancing up at her mischievously. Maleficent met her gaze, attempting to hide the small smile that formed on her lips.

"What are you looking at, you little nymph?"

Aurora scrunched her eyes in silent laughter before biting the skin of her arm lightly, playfully. Maleficent shivered at her touch. Sky raised an eyebrow, taking another bite of her own slice of dried fruit and glancing away, pretending not to notice their strange interactions.

"Sky?"

She raised her eyes at the sound of her name, chewing nonchalantly. "What."

"So..." Aurora began in a low voice, edging slowly across the floor and keeping her head down. "So what is it exactly?"

"What's what? What?" Sky mumbled, swallowing her bite.

Aurora laughed. "This energy. Did you pass it to me somehow? Did you help me? What happened?"

Sky lowered her hand, gazing upwards at the cave's ceiling, scratching at the base of her neck with one finger. Maleficent slid her eyes between the two, skin still prickled from Aurora's teasing.

"I didn't. You're the third... no, fourth person I've seen using it. Including myself. It..." she paused, lowering her eyes to meet Aurora's gaze again. They spiraled slightly, the tiny white orbs drifting and intertwining as she studied Aurora's eyes, squinting. "I've got my own theories and all..."

"What are they?" Aurora prodded her, curious.

Maleficent stretched her wings out behind her, brushing Aurora's arm with the soft feathers. She took another bite of her fruit as she listened. She tilted her head to the side as she watched Sky, grazing her horns along the side of Aurora's head.

"Have you ever... I don't know. Died?"

Aurora jumped at the question. Her heart skipped a beat as she glanced back at Maleficent, who had instantly stopped chewing and lowered her hand, growing still. Her eyes probed Aurora's, suddenly glistening and sad. Aurora reached out, gripping at her hand and smiling lightly before looking up at Sky again, scrunching her eyebrows.

"Why?"

Sky leaned back against the rock, straightening her legs out in front of her and crossing her arms behind her head, sighing. She drew her eyes along the ceiling for awhile before answering.

"I can't explain how I know. Sometimes I just know stuff after interacting with it for a long time. Where it comes from. What it is. I guess I know it the same way I learned your language, your customs."

"You just...know." Maleficent repeated, furrowing her eyebrows.

Sky blinked toward the ceiling, spinning a finger idly through a lock of her silver hair. "Yeah. And I just... know. That this stuff, this energy. It's all around us, and in us. Everywhere you can't see. And if you can control it, fully, you can control anything. But it's in a strange place, in this half-world between life and death, this place that most people can't see or exist inside of. It's hard to explain."

"Like an afterlife?" Maleficent probed, brushing her thumb along the back of Aurora's hand.

"More like... in between lives. And the only way to get there, exist there, is to die. Then come back."

Aurora's heart shuddered again. Maleficent met her gaze a second time. The golds in her eyes were incredibly vibrant in that moment, flaring as bright as the fire that scorched before them, snapping loudly and moving with the beat of the drums. The caped creatures continued to jog around it, leaping in the air every once and awhile.

Maleficent squeezed at her hand again, grimacing.

"She has died," Maleficent nodded, voice low. She cleared her throat to rid herself of the scratchiness there.

"You died..." Sky repeated, gazing upward. "And then you came in contact with it when you touched me. Now it's using your body as a vessel, just like mine."

Aurora exhaled heavily, darting her eyes from Maleficent's eyes to her slightly rounded belly, frowning. "I won't hurt anyone with it, will I?"

Sky sighed, turning her head against her shoulder to stare brightly into her eyes, lips tight. "Not if you can control it. And... that can be very hard. It'll respond to powerful emotions, and sometimes you can't help but let it do what it does. It's a part of you now. It is you."

Aurora gazed down into her lap, into upturned palms. She wondered if the energy was there now, waiting.

"I've seen it being used in different ways. The way you silenced that monster. It was very graceful, even though you were being made to do something horrible. There was still a beauty to it. And that's you, showing through."

Sky turned her head back to gaze up at the ceiling again, eyes following the swirling smoke as it suctioned away into the tunnels there.

"I certainly hope you aren't attempting to woo my beastie, Sky," Maleficent chided, a low chuckle rumbling in her throat.

Sky belted out a loud laugh, voice echoing. "I have more of a thing for redheads," she admitted, sitting up and glancing around at the dancers again.

Maleficent quirked an eyebrow, a small smile pulling at her lips. Aurora grinned as well, shoving at Sky's leg playfully.

"So you do like that girl," she pressed, giggling.

Sky glowered at her, biting the inside of her lip. She lowered her eyes before frowning. "More than that. I... she was someone special to me before all of this. Before this world. Before I lost my memory. But I remember her face. She doesn't seem to remember me, though."

Sky gripped at a rock near her, curling her fingers around it and twisting it around in her hand for a moment. She pulled her knees in before standing, wavering slightly on her feet. "Doesn't matter much anymore. I'm gonna go check out these fucking drums," she mumbled, staggering off.

Maleficent lifted an eyebrow, turning to shrug at Aurora. Aurora's eyes trailed after Sky as she bumped idly into the jumping, thumping creatures, grazing them with her shoulders as she bumbled off toward a giant drum in the distance. She crouched in front of it before knocking on it with one closed fist, ear turned inward. She grinned at the sound and smacked it again, this time with the palm of her hand.

"She is a strange one," Maleficent laughed, watching as well.

The boy at Aurora's side edged forward, getting to his feet as well. Aurora had almost forgotten he was there. He was incredibly quiet for a child, and didn't seem to have any parents to speak of. Aurora wasn't even sure if their species had parents like what she was used to. All of them seemed to mingle with each and every one of their kind, never truly gravitating to just one person. Aside from the boy, who had seemed attached to Aurora since she saved him.

He leaned forward over their bowl of fruit. A third, tiny arm reached out from inside his cape and grabbed a piece before grinding it against the rock with his knuckles, crushing it into tiny pieces.

Aurora balked at the strangeness of it; she had no idea that they had a second pair of arms somewhere in there. It was strange to see. Maleficent fell silent as well, watching with one arched eyebrow as the child lifted a mashed piece of the fruit to his belly and shoved it away somewhere inside his robes.

Maleficent pursed her lips as she watched, totally bewildered by the sight before her. Aurora tried very hard not to laugh, not wanting to be rude.

He glanced up at them, whirring softly and flaring his nostrils, eyes questioning. He held out a hand to Aurora, motioning her forward. Aurora glanced up at where Sky sat bashing her fists into the side of her newfound drum. Aurora wasn't going to be getting a translation any time soon.

"What is it?" she asked the boy, reaching out and taking his hand.

He pulled her to her feet, drawing her along behind him. Maleficent stood as well, careful of where she trailed her wings as she and Aurora followed behind the boy, weaving through the crowd of twisting bodies. Aurora steadied herself against Maleficent, padding softly against the muddied rock.

Heat came off of the creature's bodies in heavy waves, licking at her bare arms and legs, as hot as the flames that scorched at the center of the cave. They glanced up at her as she passed by, nodding, bowing, whirring, touching her arms and shoulders. They continued to dance, never tiring, never falling silent.

The drums continued to hum around them, reverberating along the cavern floor and echoing back from the smooth walls and expansive tunnels.

Some of the creatures abandoned their dance to follow after them, whirring and clicking at the boy, nodding vigorously and skipping on their feet.

Aurora glanced sidelong at Maleficent, quirking an eyebrow. Maleficent returned a confused glance, darting her eyes toward Sky, who had looked up at them, smiling, entirely thrilled with her new toy.

The boy finally led them to the center of the cave, to the fire, where large, blazing embers fluttered and skittered across the rock. Dozens of clay pots and jars lined the coals along its base; the scent of warm spices wafted toward Aurora as she approached.

He dropped Aurora's hand, trilled, and reached into the spiraling flames, withdrawing a large basin of warm, honey-colored liquid. He brought it up to his face, leaning his head in and whiffing at it, closing his eyes in pleasure. He opened his eyes again, large and bright, offering the basin to Aurora.

He nudged her arm when she didn't immediately take it, trilling lightly.

"What is it?" Aurora asked, laughing. More of the creatures approached, standing around her eagerly, motioning for her to drink while whirring, clicking.

Sky glanced up from her drum, grinning. She staggered to her feet and made her way through the crowd toward them, darting her eyes around at all the creatures. Her gaze fell on the basin and she peered into it, biting her lip.

She turned to the boy, whirred and clicked her voice, asking him a question. It was strange to hear such sounds coming out of Sky; it didn't seem possible, but they were accurate.

"He says it's good, sweet, warm. He says they celebrate with it on special days. He wants you to drink it first, since this is all for you," Sky translated.

Aurora hummed, sniffing at it. Maleficent craned her head in to take a look at it as well, twitching her nose at the scent.

"Smells like honey," Maleficent mused, watching as Aurora dipped the basin toward her, pressing her lips against the corner and taking a long sip. Her eyes brightened as she drank, a small smile pulling at her lips.

It was warm on her tongue, numbing the tip of it as it worked its way down her throat. It tickled, sending shivers along her spine. Maleficent arched a brow at her, lowering her eyes at her body as she shook, a tiny smirk on her lips.

"Must taste good," she chuckled, knowing that look well. Aurora grinned in response, clasping Maleficent around her waist and pulling her in tight. Her lips grazed her ear.

"Not nearly as good as you," she said in a low voice, flicking the tip of her tongue against the point of Maleficent's ear.

The creatures trilled at their interaction, grasping at each other and nodding their heads, elated with Aurora's response. Aurora laughed, pulling softly away from Maleficent's stunned face to pass the basin to her.

"Go on, see for yourself," Aurora pressed.

Maleficent drank, tilting her head back just a smidgeon. Aurora couldn't help but focus on her glistening neck, damp from the cavern's humidity. Her lips parted as Maleficent swallowed, completely enamored by the pulsing heartbeat that thudded along the dip of her throat.

Aurora blinked a few times, blushing as Maleficent lowered the basin, glancing sidelong at her. Her gaze was suddenly intense, her lips parted, breathing labored.

"Are you okay?" Aurora laughed.

"Quite," Maleficent chuckled, expelling a small breath of air. Sky laughed from behind them, catching Aurora's gaze. She stood out so brightly amongst the hooded creatures, incredibly vibrant amidst the dark, heated cavern.

"Your turn, Sky," Maleficent challenged, shoving it into her outstretched arms.

The liquid rocked in its container from the motion. Sky grasped at it, following their lead and tilting her head to take a sip. She scrunched her face at the texture, smacking her lips as she pulled away.

"You guys are fucking weird," she grimaced before walking off, wobbling along between the horde of perspiring creatures, presumably to go play with her drum again. She passed the basin off to a pair of outstretched hands as she went. The creature brought it to the slits in his face, whiffing at it for a moment before sending the basin onward to travel across a sea of clutching hands.

The drums started up again, thudding all along the cavern. The vibrations tickled the underside of Aurora's feet, which felt strangely sensitive, almost ticklish. The sensation moved across her entire body, prickling at her skin. Tiny wafts of air brushed against her in waves. Her body felt increasingly responsive to everything going on around her, and after a moment, the world began to slow to a crawl.

She turned to face Maleficent again. Colors swirled and blurred across her vision as she inclined her head. She felt heavy, laden, her breath loud in her ears as though she had plugged them. Her eyes fell on the pulse thudding away at Maleficent's neck. She was drawn to it, lips parted, suctioning onto it with her lips and drawing deep on the skin there.

She panted into her neck, reaching up to rake her nails along the base of Maleficent's spine. Maleficent shook, breath quaking against Aurora's twitching ear. The sound was unexplainably loud to Aurora, as though Maleficent's voice was in her head, echoing around on the inside of her as though in a chasm.

She withdrew from her, licking at her own lip and tasting Maleficent there. Her heart thudded at her flavor. Maleficent's eyes caught hers, suddenly molten orange. They glistened, blinking slowly, as she inclined her head to Aurora. She grazed the base of her horns along the edge of Aurora's jaw, her breathing suddenly uncontrolled, ragged.

Her hand closed around Aurora's, and she found herself moving as though without legs, drifting along behind the winged woman, sliding in between grinding, stomping feet.

Bodies blurred around her, and all she could focus on was Maleficent's backside. Her eyes glued to the milky skin peeking out from in between parted wings, glistening in the darkness. They walked for what seemed like ages, sliding along the muddied rock and carelessly bumping into frenzied bodies.

As soon as they came upon a clearing, Maleficent spun on her feet and clutched Aurora by her waist, lifting her upward and crashing her lips against hers. Her tongue grazed at her lower lip, sweeping purposefully to probe at the inside of her mouth. She flicked at her tongue before biting gently into her lip. She sucked on it slowly, sliding her hands down to grip at Aurora's backside.

Aurora groaned into her mouth, panting as she wrapped her legs around Maleficent's waist. The woman staggered backward at the movement. She spun where they stood, rotating Aurora around to crush her back into the bumpy ridges of a nearby column of rock.

It was slick, but cool on Aurora's heated flesh. Maleficent flashed her with her eyes again, sharp and bright in the darkness. Aurora dragged her eyes down along her features, taking in the sight of her angular cheekbones, her plump lips, her powerful jaw.

She slicked her tongue along the edge of her ear again, clenching her thighs around Maleficent's waist. She could feel Maleficent poking her softly along the inside of her thigh, throbbing against her bare skin.

There came a fleeting moment in which Aurora wondered if this was the proper place for such a private act, and in that same moment, she realized she couldn't give a fuck, as Sky would have so eloquently put it.

She bit onto Maleficent's earlobe, wrapping her arms tightly around her neck and groaning, whispering. "Right now," she shuddered in between nips. "I want you right now."

Maleficent's breath caught in her throat at the request. She was suddenly shaking, gripping onto Aurora's hip with one powerful hand while frantically batting their wrappings out of the way with the other.

Her red sash slid off to one side, exposing her solid, rigid core. She pressed it sharply against Aurora's thigh and ground against her, lowering her head to touch her forehead to Aurora's. She expelled a shuddering sigh, grasping onto Aurora's bottom with both hands and lifting her up.

Aurora's back met with the rock again, slicking smoothly against the cool texture. She shuddered, flexing as Maleficent pushed into her. Her walls tensed at the intrusion, clamping down around Maleficent where she sank deep inside. Maleficent bucked at the pressure, hips quivering. Aurora clasped onto her neck and shoulders tighter, bracing herself against the rock.

She panted, winded. "Hard," she breathed, her lips inches from Maleficent's ear. Maleficent bucked instantly at her command, crushing her against the rock with the motion. She weighed down on the tops of Aurora's thighs, burying herself up to her base.

Aurora gasped as Maleficent grazed that familiar orb, causing her body to seize up. She cried out, tangling her fingers into Maleficent's hair as she began to pound into her, crashing her back against the column.

Fluid cascaded out from in between her thighs as Maleficent pumped, creating a smooth lining for her to slip in and out of over and over again. She had never before felt so hot, so absurdly wet. It felt different, almost alien the way it moved out of her and along her skin.

Maleficent bit at her shoulder, closing her lips against her heated skin and smirking at Aurora's uncontrolled whimpers. She lifted Aurora up as she pulled out from her, guiding her back down into a heavy thrust. She rested deep inside her for a long moment, grinding her hips into Aurora's parted thighs, nudging at her core in smooth circles. She smirked again, reveling in Aurora's tiny breaths of air, pulling away to trail her eyes up along her jaw. Maleficent's eyelids were heavy and dark, her cheeks tinged.

Aurora continued to pool out onto her. The sensation was dizzying; she glanced down at herself, landing her eyes on a flash of molten blue-silver. She clenched her thighs at the sight, yelping.

Maleficent paused at the sound, probing her eyes with a furrowed brow. Her face was blurred, erratic. Aurora could only ever focus on one feature at a time. Her eyes flitted along her jaw again, gazing down at their burning skin and the shining silver that pooled in between them, swirling around their hips and thighs.

Aurora bucked at the sight, clenching hard onto Maleficent.

"Aura," Maleficent finally spoke, though it was heavy and strained. She hummed. "Aura, you're..."

Aurora glanced down at herself again, watching as the energy wound out in between them, pulling them together tightly. She could feel everything that it could, smoothing up over Maleficent's thigh and ridged hipbones. It eased up in between Maleficent's legs and tickled at her entrance.

Aurora's eyes fluttered shut at the sensation, bucking lightly again.

"I can feel you," she ground out, gripping onto her back as Maleficent slowly rocked into her again, inhaling sharply. She thrust into her with renewed passion, squeezing at her thighs and flicking her tongue along her bottom lip. She grunted into her, closing her lips against Aurora's, exploring the inside of her mouth as she pushed into her. Aurora squeezed her eyes shut, clutching sharply at her lower back, exhaling heavily from her nose. She whimpered as her energy eased further into Maleficent, filling her up and solidifying, tensing against clamping flesh.

Maleficent drew away from their kiss, gritting her teeth and hissing, tears glistening on her lashes. She let Aurora's legs slide down around her to meet with the slick ground, leaning fully into her and bracing her hands on either side of her waist.

She shuddered, gasping at the air, throbbing inside of Aurora where she stilled. Aurora slid away from her, gliding her fingers down along Maleficent's waist and grazing at her hipbones before sinking onto her knees. She pulled at Maleficent's leg, forcing her knee to buckle out from under her. The silver moved in between them, winding itself around Maleficent's thighs and waist, sucking Aurora in closer to the woman.

She eased Maleficent backward onto the cool stone, eyes flashing at the way her wings expanded out on either side of her, twitching. Aurora magnetized to her, grazing her abdomen along Maleficent's and purring, her skin igniting at the touch.

Her mind went numb at Maleficent's sounds. She moaned softly, closing her fingers around Aurora's hand and pulling her close, gliding her thighs along Aurora's waist and holding her there. Aurora had never seen her that way, had never heard her utter those cries of bliss. It was different than before. She twitched her hip against her, overcome by an intense wave of heat, sparking at the end of her energy where it penetrated Maleficent. It sent powerful, aching waves up her body, flashing white on her eyes.

Her mind went completely numb at the feeling. She gripped Maleficent's hands, intwining their fingers and sliding them up over her head, grazing rigid horns. She leaned down to suck at her neck, grazing her forehead along slick hair, inhaling her scent. It was intoxicating, coaxing another buck out of her hips.

Maleficent cried out again, clenching around her, gripping her thighs so tightly around her waist that Aurora thought she might not be able to breathe. Instead, she rocked her hips against Maleficent's gently, easing the silver in and out of her in slow, curving motions that had the horned woman turning her head to the side, hissing as she inhaled shaking breaths of air.

She could feel a hard knot swelling along the inside of Maleficent's wall, hardening at Aurora's movements. Aurora grazed it again, flexing into her as she quaked. She paused, not entirely sure what she was feeling.

"Little beast," Maleficent ground out as though she were somehow suffering. Her eyes were wet, clenched tightly shut. "Don't you dare stop now," she warned in a low growl, clamping down on Aurora where she lay embedded in her.

Aurora's cheeks flared. She drove into her again, sliding up over the swelling excruciatingly slow, fully immersed in her sounds, her shivering voice, her tensing body. Maleficent jerked, gasping and gripping onto Aurora's fingers painfully hard.

The knot eased away again, disappearing back into quaking, clamping walls. A warmth shot out of Maleficent's stiffness where it pressed tightly between them, wetting them both. Aurora jumped at the feeling, darting her eyes to catch Maleficent's burning gaze.

She let out a long, low breath of air, relaxing her legs around her and humming. Aurora lay there for a long moment, resting her cheek against Maleficent's heaving chest, pulling softly at her fingertips and smiling. Drumbeats slowly made their way back to her ears, no longer drowned out by her pounding heart. They sent tremors along the rock underneath them.

Aurora turned her head just enough to see the sea of hooded bodies still dancing, exhilarated, completely unaware of what Maleficent and Aurora had just done so close by. She chuckled to herself, her voice loud in her ears.

"I don't even know what just happened," Aurora finally blurted out, voice still shaking. She sucked in another breath of air, running her fingers along the underside of Maleficent's arm.

"Drugs happened," Maleficent huffed, planting a kiss on the top of Aurora's head. Aurora attempted to lift herself, shaking from the exertion. She gazed back up at Maleficent, vision still unreasonably blurred.

"Oh," Aurora giggled, licking her lip. "I sure hope it didn't affect Sky." She laughed. "Maybe we should go make sure she isn't... intimately engaged with anybody right now," she suggested, sitting a little further up, head spinning.

Maleficent grimaced, furrowing her eyebrows at the thought. "I guess that would be a good idea."


	22. Insurrection

_Haha, glad you guys enjoyed the last chapter. I tried to have some fun with it. I'm finally getting to the climax of the story, so if there's anything you guys would like to see (aside from the baby-SOON, I PROMISE-) then let me know now. I'll do my best to work something in somehow. There's only going to be a few more chapters left, and all of them will probably be rather long like these last two are. Hope you enjoy them, and thanks so much for following this story for so long! Special thanks to lulu, yuuib, scientifichooligan, croutonn, cissa and jintymac for your regular reviews and genuine interest in the story and characters._

_-DB_

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Maleficent eased between grinding, thumping bodies, clasping tightly onto Aurora's fingers where she trailed behind her, careful not to step on any stray feet. She probed through the hot crowd, vision still hazy. It was incredibly difficult to sift through them. They were erratic, shoved up tightly against one another as they moved. Maleficent couldn't help but feel like they were doing something more than dancing.

Her eyes flitted into open spaces, searching for a flash of white fabric, a dash of silver hair. She eventually came upon a cluster of abandoned drums, smiling as her eyes settled on Sky's dozing form.

Aurora giggled behind her, scooting up along Maleficent's side to get a closer look at their friend.

She lay hunched against one of the massive drums, chin resting on her bare chest. The skin there was strange. She didn't have any sort of breasts or nipples, but there was a seam that split her midsection in two, glistening in the humidity.

Her shirt lay across her lap, where Maleficent realized she had buried one hand. It disappeared into the top of her pants, resting somewhere between her thighs.

Aurora giggled again, clutching at Maleficent's arm.

"She was intimate with someone, alright," Maleficent chuckled. "Herself."

Aurora burst out laughing, lowering herself to gaze into Sky's sleeping face. She poked her cheek, testing the depth of Sky's slumber.

"She's out cold," Aurora laughed again, clutching at her stomach.

"Must have been good." Maleficent scratched at her chin, lowering herself in front of Sky as well. She scooped her shirt out of her lap, withdrawing her hand from the inside of her pants and settling it across her front. She tucked the shirt tightly around her shoulders, concealing her bare chest once more. "There we go," Maleficent smiled, satisfied with her work.

Sky mumbled in her sleep, edging closer to the drum and yawning. She rubbed at one eye lazily before dropping her hand again, tucking her knee further up against her belly.

Maleficent heard Aurora yawn beside her, clutching at her arm again and wavering on her feet. She glanced sidelong at her, a tired grin forming.

"I'm tired too, beastie," Maleficent chuckled, pulling her close. "It'd be hard not to be after that."

Aurora hummed, leaning against Maleficent's shoulder and trailing a stray finger along the outside of her arm, past her elbow and up toward her shoulder. She sank to one knee, pulling Maleficent down with her and nuzzling her front. She breathed deep, releasing a heavy sigh.

"Sleep with me, then," Aurora purred, kissing her along her jaw. Maleficent shivered at the softness of her lips, craning her head to kiss her forehead.

She shifted her wings out alongside her, enveloping her. They sealed the warmth of their bodies easily, cushioning them against the cool rock. A few remaining drums continued to beat quietly across the landscape, vibrating at the earth. It was soothing. Maleficent's eyelids drooped as she pressed her lips to Aurora's skin again, inhaling.

"Goodnight, little nymph."

Shadows stirred at the edges of her vision, spiraling into fluid colors. She exhaled deeply, a warm, overwhelming weight coming over her. She allowed it to overtake her, settling against Aurora comfortably.

She found herself gazing into a fogged, circular window. Droplets slid along its surface, dipping against the frame and out of sight. The soft sound of trickling rain made its way to her ears. She twitched them, easing her neck to one side and blinking slowly.

Her finger reached up, drawing idly into the window's condensation, swirling tiny, spiraling patterns there.

A face unlike her own peered back at her from the cleared glass. She raised a dark eyebrow, studying herself in the reflection. Her eyes were solid black. Swirls of bright yellow and green lights spiraled in them, clustering to form miniature galaxies. Golden brown hair curled in toward her soft cheekbones.

"I'm dreaming again," Maleficent said aloud, her voice light and foreign. It was strange, and incredibly real.

A soft tapping echoed from behind her. She whirled around at the sound, realizing she had been sitting atop a round, feathery bed. The room was small, cramped. Aside from the bed, window, and a metallic dresser, there wasn't much to it. There was a white door at the opposite end of the room. Another knock reverberated against it.

Maleficent stood, wobbling slightly as she crossed the room. She had never gotten used to walking without the weight of her wings to balance her. She reached out toward a nonexistent staff, tripping slightly on her own feet.

She pulled at the doorknob, yanking it inward. An icy rush of air hit her, coaxing a shiver from her spine.

Sky stood on the other side of the door, glancing down at her impatiently. She was a lot taller, and dressed in a black, form-fitting body suit. A thin zipper ran the length of it, ending at a high collar. The legs were baggy and pocketed, tucked into heavy boots.

"Sky?" Maleficent blinked into the bright hallway, holding a hand up to shield her eyes from it.

Sky arched an eyebrow at her, tapping her foot.

"What the fuck is Sky? Let's go. Are you even dressed yet?"

Maleficent glanced down at herself. She was wearing the same black outfit that Sky wore. She raised her eyes again, gazing down the hallway just outside her room. Another girl leaned against the wall with her arms crossed, rocking her heel back and forth across the slick floor.

She glanced up as Maleficent looked out at her. Shining red hair cascaded down her back, flitting out into feathery curves. They hugged at her sides, almost gold in the hall's light. As bright as the gold in her eyes, blazing brightly back at her.

Sky suddenly grabbed Maleficent by the shoulder, pulling her out into the hallway and slamming the door shut behind her.

"Pull it together, woman. We can't have you getting all shy again. There's no changing your mind this time."

The redhead nodded, a smirk twitching at her full lips. "Honestly, we're tired of hearing you talk about her all the time," she snickered, lowering her arms to swing them at her sides idly. "You're going to talk to her today. No questions asked. No arguing. And no shyness."

Maleficent balked. "Talk to who?"

A hand slapped her fully across the side of one cheek. She jumped at the sting, holding her hand there and glowering back at Sky, who just stood there laughing.

"Come on," she ground out, irritated. She grasped onto her shoulders and drove her down the hallway. The redhead clomped along behind them. Maleficent looked over her shoulder at her as they moved.

She caught her eyes, shrugging apologetically. She pointed a Sky, imitating an angry grimace before suffering a fit of silent laughter.

"She's gonna be gone by the time we get there," the redhead mused, running a thumb along her lip, attempting to hide the remnants of her smile.

"Nah, we got this. Shh," Sky yanked back on Maleficent's shoulder and they stilled, pausing at an intersection in the hallway.

A door clicked somewhere down the opposite hall, creaking inward. Maleficent sucked in a breath of air as Sky and the redhead fell instantly quiet.

Soft, white-blue hair caught her eyes as a girl backed out of the doorway, shrugging a black, hooded long coat onto her shoulders. She poked around at the inside of it for a moment, sifting around for the other arm hole. She clicked the door shut behind her and turned to face them, head low as she continued to pull her jacket on, buttoning the front of it.

"Alright. You know the plan. Calm. Collected. Y'know, just go up there, walk next to her for awhile, do your thing," Sky was whispering in her ear. But Maleficent wasn't listening. Her muscles tensed as the girl approached, hair shimmering brightly as she passed underneath the lights.

She gazed up at her in that moment. Her eyes were voltaic, bright blue and scorching. Her lips were soft, her jaw sharp. She was Aurora.

Maleficent's breath caught in her throat, heart pounding.

"Go, fucker, what the hell are you waiting for? You're gonna let her just walk by!" Sky hissed in her ear. Another moment passed and Maleficent remained there, frozen. Aurora had almost reached them, though she wouldn't have been able to see Sky or the redhead from where they were standing around the corner.

Sky suddenly shoved Maleficent forward. She tripped, bumping into the wall. Aurora paused, darting her eyes down to Maleficent's boots before gazing back up at her, lips slightly parted.

"You ok?" she asked. Her voice was heavenly.

Maleficent turned to shoot an irritated glance at Sky, but the two had abandoned her on the spot, and all she could see of them were their backsides, running swiftly toward the end of the hall. Maleficent hissed, slowly turning around to face Aurora again.

Her heart hammered at the look she was giving her.

"Hello," she managed to breathe, and she instantly felt stupid.

Aurora giggled, pulling her hood up over her shining hair. "What's your name?"

Maleficent paused, biting her lip. She moved her lips to speak again, but no words came out. Aurora continued to watch her, flitting her eyes down to focus on her lips.

Maleficent tried to speak again, but her voice had vanished. The entire hall was mute. The air was still. The lights had dimmed, fading away. Aurora's face was suddenly blanketed in darkness. She tried to focus, to bring her back. To bring it all back. But it was gone.

The air was muggy. Her muscles were sore, stiff. Her insides ached where Aurora had entered her. She blinked slowly, emitting a soft groan. The cave was dark, aside from a few torches that remained lit all around them. The drums had fallen silent.

Maleficent twitched her wings against Aurora where she still lay quietly in her arms, breathing deep. She slept peacefully, with one hand stretched out in front of her, grasping onto the edge of one of Maleficent's wings.

Maleficent could hear distant whirring, the soft, sleeping breaths of the creatures that had passed out all over the cavern after giving in to exhaustion.

She blinked again, squinting into the darkness. Sky had slid away from the drum as she slept, clutching her shirt in one hand and resting her head on it, breathing deep. The air around her was strangely dark, shimmering slightly in the dim torchlight. It was as if something was moving there, just above her.

Maleficent squinted harder, reaching up with one hand to rub the sleep out of her eyes. Something black, somehow serpentine, eased a path along Sky's exposed neck, flicking lightly at her skin.

Maleficent cleared her throat, attempting to sit up. Aurora hummed into her neck.

"Sky," Maleficent whispered.

The snake shuddered at the sound of her voice. A sharp quill shot out of its tip, sinking into Sky's neck without warning.

Maleficent leapt up, clutching Aurora to her. "SKY!" Aurora sprang awake, gripping onto Maleficent's side and staring around, wide-eyed and blinking.

Sky slid against the floor, unconscious. A dark creature materialized from behind her, looming over her body as it rose to its feet. It looked like one of the caped creatures, though it- she- was taller, much taller. Her skin appeared flayed and battered, her limbs knotted. Her face slid into the torchlight, rasping at the air with gargling breath. Her eyes were empty, lifeless, and drawing on Maleficent's as if through endless voids.

A massive, vine-like protrusion whipped out at Maleficent from the end of one of the woman's arms, slamming heavily into her midsection and winding her. Tears shot to Maleficent's eyes and she curled in on herself, staring down at her blurry torso, grazing her fingers over her now noticeably round belly. The light there wavered, recoiling.

Aurora cried out, confused, terrified. Her hands were on her, clutching her close. Silver flashed up around them in a dome, thrusting the shadowy woman backward into the darkness.

She snarled, skidding to a halt. Creatures sprang awake all around them, whirring and shrieking in the blackness of the cave. More torches came alight around them. Sky remained unconscious on the floor, sedated by whatever the woman had injected her with.

The woman stooped over her, scooping her up in one powerful arm. At the same time, there came a paranormal scream, raking its way through the cavern. One of the massive, alien centipedes had exploded through the entrance. It belched out another loud scream. It blew out Maleficent's ears, and for a moment she couldn't hear anything at all except for a high pitched, deafening ringing.

It thundered into the cavern, swinging its head and crashing into columns of rock, sending shards of them flying in all directions. The hooded creatures ran out from beneath its clanging, spiked feet, fleeing into the utmost corners of the cavern.

Maleficent could make out another very tall creature riding along its back, grasping onto reins tied to its horns. Just behind him, the redhead from her dream sat clutching him around his waist, hair streaming down her back like fire in the torchlight.

"Mal, what do we do?" Aurora pleaded, shifting beside her. Her shield was waning, flickering softly in the dim light. Maleficent didn't know what to say. She felt paralyzed. Her blood ran cold at the sight of the monster thundering toward her and Aurora.

She glanced up at the redhead, eyes pleading. She knew her. She didn't know how, but they had known each other once. They were friends.

"Stop!" Maleficent cried, holding her hands out in front of her and brandishing her wings. An arc of silver flew out around them, forming another shield across Maleficent's firm belly. Aurora shook next to her, struggling to keep herself stable.

The shadowy woman rasped at her again, pointing a long, gnarled finger in Aurora's direction. She gazed up at the man astride the arthropod's back, clicking and whirring.

He was dressed in gold, similar to the redhead. He nodded down at the woman, clicking in response.

"Mal," Aurora pleaded, unsure of what to do.

"It's your powers," Maleficent suddenly realized. She stared up at the redhead, holding her hand up again. "This girl. She's Sky's friend. I can't explain it right now. But something is wrong with her right now. We shouldn't hurt her."

"What about this?" Aurora asked, flicking her eyes back toward the rasping woman on her right. She still clutched at Sky, draping her heavily over her normal arm. The vine arm coiled at her side, slithering along the surface of the rock as though preparing to strike.

Maleficent darted her eyes between her and the massive arthropod, skin prickling. The monster eased in toward her, screeching as the man astride it steadied its frenzied movements.

"Aurora, I feel we may be outnumbered. If you fight them, they could kill you. Please, try to hold it back."

Aurora quaked beside her, legs shaking. "I'll try," she hushed, but her eyes were wide, terrified. Maleficent knew she had no idea how to control her powers. Not yet.

She held her hands higher above her head, lowering her wings slightly. The redhead flashed bright eyes in her direction, eyebrows furrowed as she lowered her gaze, studying her.

"Please," Maleficent called out to her. "We won't attack. Let Sky go. Please."

She dropped to one knee, bowing her horns. The arthropod cantered up along her side, whinnying. She gazed up at the armored man and redhead again, tensing her shoulders. The redhead continued to squint at her, unsure of what she was looking at. She lifted a leg to slide down along the side of the monster, clattering heavily onto the slick rock.

Her eyes darted back and forth between Aurora and Maleficent as she bit at her lip, clenching red fabric up into her fist.

Her voice whirred, clicked, forming a question. Maleficent faltered, lowering her eyes. She held her belly close, clutching at Aurora's fingers. She didn't know how she could communicate with the girl. She didn't understand their language. Without Sky, she might never be able to.

She closed her eyes, hoping for an answer to come to her. If only she could understand Maleficent's thoughts, as Sky had.

The redhead jumped in that moment, steadying a hand out in front of her. Maleficent caught her eyes again and frowned.

"Do you understand me?" the redhead asked, her voice low.

Maleficent breathed a sigh of relief. Aurora nodded beside her, open-mouthed.

"Yes. Please, let Sky go. She hasn't done anything. She's our friend."

"Sky?" the redhead questioned, glancing sidelong at where she lay tucked against the woman's chest, body limp. "Is that what you call her?"

Maleficent nodded, eyes probing.

There came another irritated rasping sound from her right. Maleficent flinched at the noise, gazing up at the dark woman. She cringed at the horrible look on her face, the voids of her eyes, the total emptiness that lived inside of them. The tiny hairs on the back of her neck prickled at the sight.

The woman tensed, snarling, the vine whipping eerily along the floor. She barreled forward, lashing the vine out at Maleficent's legs.

Maleficent buckled, gasping, cradling her belly and leaning into Aurora heavily.

"STOP!" Aurora screamed. Hot, white-blue liquid materialized around her in an instant, vibrating and whistling through the air. It shook, tensing as it pulsed out around her, craving blood. Aurora held it back, tears in her eyes. "Don't hurt her again. Or I will hurt you," she warned.

The redhead screamed at the woman in response, possibly translating what Aurora had said. The woman rasped, exhaling heavily, tensing her shoulders and gripping at Sky's arm where she held her. She pressed so hard into her skin that blood eased out, white as milk.

Aurora shook violently at the sight. The blue fashioned into a massive, whirling string of light. It flashed across the woman's face, sending her flying backward. Her back met the ground with a thud. Sky flew out of her arms, crashing heavily onto the ground and rolling to a stop, completely limp.

Aurora gasped at what she had done, shrinking back next to Maleficent.

"Fuck," the redhead whispered, grimacing. She clutched her hand into a fist, glancing back and forth between the dark woman and Aurora. The man riding the arthropod spoke, his voice hurried.

The woman shot up from the ground, lowering her eyes at Maleficent and Aurora. She lurched forward, pumping black, oozing liquid out of the end of her whipping vine-arm. It sprayed up over them, scaldingly hot where it cascaded onto their exposed flesh. Maleficent cried out, shielding them with her wings, hissing as it continued to spray out at her, disintegrating the feathers it hit.

The redhead blasted forward, knocking the woman onto her side and flinging molten silver up and out of her sleeve in an arc. It came crashing down on the woman with a heavy smack, winding her.

The armored arthropod reared up in the commotion, belting out an echoing shriek before stomping toward them. Maleficent grabbed onto Aurora's waist and beat her wings, carrying them upward above the fray. Her wings faltered from the damage they had taken, and she buckled, dipping near where the monster clacked its massive mandibles. Aurora pulsed a wave of energy out at it, knocking it backward, screaming.

Aurora gasped into Maleficent's ear, suddenly hyperventilating, clutching onto her sharply as she tried to stabilize herself. Silver continued to pump out around her as they flew, setting fire to the very air around them.

"Breathe, Aurora," Maleficent directed, doing her best to calm her. The redhead continued to fight, far below, slashing silver back and forth along the shadowed woman's dark flesh. The monster clattered around in the the clearing, rearing its head to follow Maleficent and Aurora, mandibles clashing loudly in the cavern.

"We need to get Sky," Aurora gasped between breaths. Maleficent gazed back down at where the redhead fought, catching a glimpse of Sky where she lay crumpled on the rock. She parted her wings to soar further down, unstable. Cool air whistled in between the gaps in her feathers, burning where they had just been singed.

She touched with the ground; silver sprang out around Aurora in another dome, though it was massive this time, pulsing, uncontrolled. Maleficent leaned down to lift Sky up, pausing, realizing there was no way she could carry them both out. They would have to walk.

She gripped Sky against her, shifting her arm up over one shoulder and holding her up by her waist. Her head fell forward onto her chest, bobbing lifelessly. Aurora rushed to her side, taking up Sky's other arm. The ground shook as the monster thundered toward them, slinging its head left and right as it neared them.

Blue silver took shape in the space between them, splitting off into thousands of tiny, vibrating slicks of metal. They pelted at the monster's head, piercing the armor and mandibles, flashing blood into the air. It shrieked painfully loud, deafening Maleficent once more.

It skidded to a halt, hissing and gargling at the wound. The rest of its body continued to barrel into them, sliding sideways along the rock, failing to find grip on the slick ground.

"RUN!" Maleficent cried, gripping Sky tightly around her waist and jogging forward. Aurora panted at her side, feet sliding as she fought to keep up. The monster's body continued to careen toward them, raking up rock and dust as it moved, tearing stalagmites up from the floor.

The edge of its armored carapace crashed into them heavily, knocking their legs out from under them. Maleficent pumped her wings as she whirled through the air, clutching at her belly painfully. Another segment of the creature's body came barreling down on top of her, slamming against the side of her head. She fell unconscious in an instant, drowned in a still, unending blackness.


	23. Chimera

Maleficent jerked awake with a sharp convulsion. She sucked at the air, curling in on herself against a frozen, glassy floor. The room around her was a blinding white and perfectly carved, perfectly shaped. The ceiling sloped over her in a dome, shimmering a pearly white against the single orbed light that lay embedded at its center.

Another cramp wracked her body. She cried out, clutching at her abdomen. Her skin crawled, heart thudding powerfully, frantically. She blinked her eyes at her surroundings, attempting to stand.

There didn't seem to be a door in sight, as if someone had just dropped the dome over her body where she lay. She felt terribly enclosed, short on air. She gripped at the floor, slippery fingers squeaking along the glass.

Another convulsion ran the length of her body. Tears burned at her eyes; her muscles tensed, clenching painfully. She could feel her baby moving, turning inside of her. A sick feeling came over her.

She sobbed, falling to her knees once more. "Please be okay," she begged, running her fingers along her pronounced abdomen. It was incredibly painful, bruised where the shadowy woman had flailed into her.

She glanced around at the walls again, tears streaming down her face. The pearly white faded into transparency, revealing strange creatures wearing faceless, glassy masks. Galaxies spiraled within each mask, impossibly slow. Silent. Studying. Endless.

Maleficent glowered at them from the floor, baring her teeth at them. A wracking pain overtook her.

"Where are they?" she gasped, leaning forward onto the floor. "Where's Aurora? Sky?" she asked again, panting. Her face was on fire. "WHERE ARE THEY?" her voice bellowed, glancing off the domed walls and thudding loudly in her own ears. She tensed at the magnification, clutching onto her belly tighter.

Water cascaded out from in between her legs, soaking her red sash and plastering it to her inner thigh. She fell onto her back, crying out and breathing hard. She clawed at the glass as she glared back up at the creatures, unimaginable hatred forming in her gut at the sight of them. They simply stood there, watching her, motionless. As if she were a thing to be studied. She wished there were something nearby that she could throw at them.

Another contraction ripped through her, stealing her breath and leaving her crippled on the floor, breathing so hard she thought she would faint. There wasn't enough air in the dome. Her wings thrashed at her sides, curling into her body as she cried out, clenching at the smooth ground, having nothing to grip onto.

Unimaginable pain coursed through her, exploding somewhere deep inside of her. She felt as though she were being torn in two. If she could just push harder, it would all be over. It would end. She gasped, breathing heavily, screaming at the pain. A body passed in between her legs in one fluid motion, slicking out onto the cold floor. Maleficent blinked at the air, gasping, fighting to recover from the onslaught. Tears streamed down her cheeks as she lifted her head painfully slow, horns heavy. Every muscle in her body ached, wanting nothing more than to droop against the floor and remain there forever.

She caught sight of a wet, tiny body, laying curled on its side beside her quaking thighs. Her stomach turned at the sheer amount of blood fanning away from her, sliding along the pearl floor beneath her.

She struggled to sit up, leaning forward to brush shaking fingers along the wet, blood-stained feathers that lay plastered against the baby's form.

A sob caught in her throat at her stillness. She wasn't crying, wasn't moving. Maleficent crawled onto her knees, leaning over the tiny body to gaze into her face. She was so small she could have fit into Maleficent's outstretched hand.

And she did. Maleficent slid gentle fingers along the sides of her, lifting her up to peer into her closed, puffy eyelids. She smoothed her lips against her forehead. Tears plopped onto the skin there, streaking the blood away and revealing soft, golden skin. A small tuft of golden brown hair lay glued to her head, slick with blood. The starts of small, dark brown horns poked out from in between the damp fluff.

"Sweet darling," Maleficent cried, cradling her against her cheek. Her jaw shook at the sight of her unmoving daughter. Not a single breath trembled at her lips.

Maleficent tensed, falling silent. Her breath stilled as she glanced over her shoulder at the faceless creatures. Her eyes were suddenly feral, predatory.

"You did this," she uttered in a low voice. It rumbled deep inside her throat. A bright flash of green sparked in her irises. Green smoke flitted up along her sides, licking at her bare shoulders and back. It flickered, flame-like between her wings where she lay hunched over her child. Gold swirled out around her arms and legs, shooting through the cord that still attached Maleficent to her baby.

An infinitesimal whimper grazed her ears in that moment; her head snapped back to gaze into her daughter's face, focusing on her lips as they opened and closed at the cold air. She squeezed her hand into a small fist, hiccuping and scrunching her eyes.

Maleficent held her breath, tears streaking down her cheek and jaws, watching as her tiny eyelids fluttered, unveiling spectral blue orbs. Gold pulsed around her irises like the crest of an eclipsing sun. She didn't make a single sound as she gazed up into Maleficent's eyes, twitching a tiny hand against her thumb.

"Little light," she soothed, humming to her.

Maleficent sobbed again, cradling her forehead to the child with a gentleness she wasn't aware she was capable of. Renewed strength coursed through her body, tickling along her arms and legs, moving through her veins in warm pulses.

Gold blew out from in between her lips, wafting into her daughter's face and stealing away the slick blood. It left her dry and warm. The tuft of hair was shining and soft in the bright light. Her wings flitted lightly across her body, brushing the tips of Maleficent's fingers with small tufts of silky down. She giggled, beaming up at Maleficent, gripping onto her thumb again, so small she was incapable of even closing her fingers around it.

"Would you like that name? Little Light?" Tears cascaded down Maleficent's face as she took in the sight of her, grateful that she was even alive.

Light poked her tongue out over her lower lip and blinked brightly back at Maleficent, entranced by her eyes. She made a tiny spluttering sound, reaching out with one hand and grabbing at the air.

Gold shifted along Maleficent's own skin, clearing away the blood as it moved, igniting her body with a warm, prickling sensation. The cord vanished from in between her legs, cascading onto the glassy floor as tiny golden sparks. She cradled Light to her chest, a small smile pulling at her lips as she groped around at Maleficent's front with tiny fingers.

"You look just like my sweet Aurora," she whispered.

The dome slid upward in that moment, drawing Maleficent's attention once more. The gap between it and the floor expanded upward, unveiling the thumbed feet of two faceless observers. They wore long, black coats similar to the one Sky had worn, though they lacked the hood and golden armor. Strange, spiraling horns dipped away from the sides of their jaws, resembling hooked mandibles.

Maleficent bared her teeth at them, eyes flashing a bright green. Her muscles tensed at the sight of them, wanting nothing more than to sling them from her, bash them head first into the ground until they fell still.

Light clutched at her chest, feeling around at her skin with tiny fingers, completely oblivious to their situation.

"Where is Aurora," Maleficent shuddered, trying and failing to hide the vehemence in her voice.

The creatures came toward her, reaching out toward her daughter. Maleficent recoiled in an instant, clasping Light tightly to her chest, hiding her face from them.

One of them withdrew a long, metallic rod from the inside of his coat pocket. It ignited into flashing sparks, zapping through the air as he brought it swinging down toward Maleficent's exposed shoulder.

She leapt up, snarling, whipping her wing out in front of her to strike at the underside of his outstretched arm. Her talon hooked his flesh as she lashed upward, sending the rod whirling through the air. It clattered onto the ground, spinning in place for a moment before flickering out.

The faceless shrieked, groping at the open wound. Blood spattered along the floor as he howled, shrinking away.

Light cried at the sound, gasping into Maleficent's chest and clutching at the fabric there. Maleficent held her close as she clambered back to her feet, spreading her wings wide. Green smoke gushed out of the air around her, slithering along the ground and closing in on the offending creature.

He became airborne, flailing his limbs at the air around him and shrieking. He clattered to the ground again in one swift movement, crunching heavily against the glass. He stilled, unconscious. The second faceless recoiled, tripping on his own feet as he fled, screaming into the hall just beyond Maleficent's dome.

A bright green flickered in Maleficent's eyes as she stared after him, lips tight and breathing heavily through her nose. Light continued to squeal softly into her chest, pausing to hiccup and splutter. Maleficent gazed back down into her spectral eyes, stroking her along her cheek and whispering.

"It's okay, darling. Shh."

Light paused, open mouthed, flashing her bright orbs at the sound of Maleficent's soothing voice. She continued to paw around at the front of Maleficent's chest, eventually sliding a tiny mouth against her exposed nipple.

Gold fluttered up around them as Maleficent eased forward, ducking her horns beneath the dome's base. Cords of black, magicked thread wove up around her, intertwining along her arms and legs and cushioning Light softly to her front. She parted her wings as she slid out into the darkened hall, peering around in the blackness with glowing eyes. If there wasn't a door to be found, she would make one.

"I'm coming, Aura."

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_I know some of you have been waiting a really long time to see this. I did my best to make it realistic. I've never given birth before, so I ended up asking my friend a lot of questions about it. Hopefully it wasn't too gross to read, and I hope you guys like how I wrote the daughter. I know it was a long time in the making, but if you're looking at the amount of time that's passed, her pregnancy only lasted a few days. (I got away with that 'cause FAERIES, right?) She's also a little premature even for faeries, so there's that._

_I also didn't want to pull some crazy name out of my ass, either, so I just kept it simple. This chapter is also shorter than I planned on making it, mainy because I want the birth to stand alone, and not really be watered down by any other crazy fight scenes or anything that might take place. Hope you enjoyed it. I had some feels for this scene, crazy how made up characters do that to you._

_-DB_


	24. Anima

Sky shifted, eyes flicking slowly beneath her eyelids. Her mouth hung open by a couple of centimeters, exhaling a warm fog onto the glass that imprisoned her. Her eyes peeled open, both sticky and dry. She sucked in a breath of air at her surroundings before blinking rapidly and pressing her fingertips into the wet glass.

"I'm dreaming," she convinced herself, bending at the knees inside of the glass capsule. "It's just another nightmare."

She was nude, damp, cold. It felt so realistic. Her knees felt bruised where they pressed up against the glass. The fog made it difficult to see what was going on beyond her container. She blinked again, gazing down along her body where it lay crushed up against the glass. Dozens of metal tubes sat embedded in her lower abdomen, poking through from somewhere beyond the glass.

They suddenly made strange sucking sounds, whirring and spinning along the inside of her stomach, drawing on its contents. She buckled at the intense pain, falling instantly limp. Her eyes rolled as her forehead crashed into the glass in front of her. Her breath caught in her throat, staggering, hyperventilating. Her heart pounded. And then there was no pain. Her body was cold, still, lifeless.

She gazed down at herself as though outside of her body, moving through the glass and studying the room around her. The machine that had been plunging at her insides continued to whirl and splutter, transferring all matter of blood and plasma through a series of clear tubes in a swirling, white mess.

Sky moved along through the air, reaching out and grabbing at the free space as if it were fabric, drawing her body along as though by a rope. It was unreal.

She spotted more tubes, more bodies, lining the walls. She weaved toward them, grazing invisible fingers along the surface, peering quietly at their contents.

Most of them were faceless. They were tall and powerful, muscles taut, but unmoving where they pressed up against the glass. They slept, forever dreaming, forever unaware of the world around them.

Some of the bodies were like Sky, though undeveloped. Without hair, without muscle. Sightless, heartless. Vessels.

Sky paused, drifting her fingers along another tube, lowering her eyes to study a pair of soft, pink lips. Golden ringlets flitted against tone, sun-kissed shoulders.

It was Aurora. Sky had never dreamed of her before. Strange, that she should see her now. Her eyes were closed, asleep like the rest.

Sky continued on toward the final tube, leaning in to peer into bright, phoenix red hair. She could just make out a warm, honey colored face beneath the mane of vibrant threads. Faint freckles lined her sharp cheeks. Long lashes bobbed gently, also in a deep sleep.

Sky had seen this face in her dreams many times before, but never so closely, never so clearly.

An archway appeared at the end of the room, sliding up from the ground and unveiling a dark hall. A creature moved in its blackness, feet slapping against the floor wetly. Sky recognized that sound.

A face appeared, materializing from the dark like a phantom. Its eyes were unseeing, empty and devouring like a hungry void. Its skin was flayed, ripped up and glistening. Some foreign body had taken root in its arm, coiling and uncoiling along the ground like a kind of headless serpent. It looked as though it were caked with dark, drying mud.

Sky hissed, sneering at the creature.

It laughed a sick, wet laugh. Saliva oozed out from the three slits in its face, dripping down along its jaw and hanging there as a shining string.

"Filthy ckaji," it chuckled, dragging its tapered arm alongside it as it entered the room, completely unaware of where Sky hovered only a few feet away.

It was entirely nude aside from the caked mud that covered its form. A second, smaller pair of arms lay folded across its midsection. Bare breasts hung, charred and glistening, across its front. They appeared flayed and raw.

Sky's stomach would have turned, though the feeling no longer existed to her. Her stomach was gone. Her body was gone, though she was still there somehow. Her eyes were gone, though she could still see. Her heart was gone, though it still ached, somehow pounding deep inside of her.

The rasping woman approached the tube Sky's body remained suspended in, leaning in close enough to brush her face along the glass, gargling wickedly at the sight of her.

She slid a gnarled finger along the edge of the canister. The glass appeared to splinter, breaking away at one section and flapping outward, creating a small opening that unveiled the lips and neck of Sky's still body.

It was a strange thing, to be staring at herself from outside of her body. She was used to dreams where she was in control, always in her own skin, always capable of deciding what would happen.

The woman slid forward, slicking the oozing slits on her face against Sky's white lips before hacking out another sickening laugh. Sky recoiled at the sight, clenching her fists alongside her where she floated in the air, helpless to react.

"Fuck off of me!" she screamed, raking through the air towards the woman, reaching out with nonexistent hands to grope at the back of her neck. She ignored her, continuing to stare into Sky's slitted, lifeless eyes.

"Unfortunate that you die so fast," the woman rasped, dragging the edge of one finger along Sky's cheek.

Sky heaved at the air, her entire bodiless form burning with an unfathomable rage. It coursed through her, unquenchable.

It soared out of her, formless but powerful, wafting through the air before hammering into the woman's backside. It flung her forward into the glass, smashing the capsule inward. Sky's body slumped into the metallic tubes, bumping her face against the cold metal. Her arms and legs hung limply against it.

The woman screamed, gargling, scrambling along the floor. Her tapered arm lashed around at the room, gripping at the walls and lifting her upright where she narrowed her void eyes into the blackness. She growled at the silence.

"What is this," she snarled, backing toward Sky's body where it dangled out of the broken tube.

"GET AWAY FROM ME!" Sky bellowed again. Another pulse of energy exploded away from her, tearing up the air as it moved, igniting the woman's flesh. A white inferno ate away at her, shredding through her arms, scorching down her thighs.

She screamed, flailing on the spot, arm whirling around her, spiraling, alight. It melted, oozing black onto the ground. Tar splashed away from her, spattering against the walls and clustering at her feet. She slid, bashing her head on the shattered glass and sinking to the ground.

"SKY!" A voice screamed her name, ringing with sheer terror. The cries of a baby echoed it, reverberating off the walls and honing in on Sky. She wrenched her head in the direction of the sound.

A hooded figure stood in the dark archway. Sharp horns spiraled up and out of two perfectly shaped holes. Sky recognized them in an instant- it was Maleficent.

Green smoke and fire came off of her in waves, illuminating the shadowy tunnel from which she came. It blazed out around her, igniting the folds of her cape, glistening along her black, polished leather attire. Bone armor lay embedded in the shoulders of her cloak, and a strange, vertical plate jutted out from her breast. It cradled something small, moving. It cried again, but Maleficent was so horror-struck at the sight before her that she couldn't think to soothe it- her child. Her daughter.

Sky gazed on her, the memories of her heart thudding away inside of her. She was beautiful, bright, and innocent. She didn't belong here, in this moment, in this room, in this void.

"Sky," Maleficent sobbed again, eyes sliding up and down at the sight of her friend impaled on the metal tubes and wires. They still chugged at her insides, clattering and snagging on any broken glass it managed to swallow up.

The shadow woman spun where she lay burning on the ground, whirling upright. Her tapered arm crashed into the walls, dragging shattered glass along with it as it went. Her head had burned away entirely, leaving nothing but a scalding nub in its place. The thing gargled, rattling as the arm continued to flail around, striking out at Maleficent.

There came a green flash. Its torso was yanked upright, arms flinging. It twisted, cracking and popping as it contorted into something else entirely. Its spine bent backward, folding in on itself, spraying black ooze across the inside of the room.

Maleficent's child continued to cry, though she was deaf to it. She was blinded by aguish and sheer, unrestrained rage.

What remained of the shadow's body spun in the air, unidentifiable. Steam wafted away from its tissue, still scalding hot where Sky's white fire had eaten away at it. Green light continued to flit along in the air around it, compressing it into nothing more than a lump of flesh.

It dropped, splatting wetly onto the ground before slicking to a stop. Maleficent could only stand there, panting, gripping her child to her, unable to take her eyes away from where Sky's body lay slumped against the machine.

She reached out a shaking hand, blasting the thing apart where it still whirred at the air making repulsive sucking noises. Sky sank forward into open air, hovering, suspended by a gentle gold aura. Blood and insides continued slip out of her where the machine had been yanked away. Drops of her blood, white as liquid pearl, floated alongside her in tiny, shining marbles.

Maleficent closed the distance between them, moving on shaking legs. She held her hand out steadily in front of her, cupping the other to her front, soothing her child. The cries came to a gradual stop, becoming soft hiccups.

She brushed gentle knuckles along the side of Sky's rigid face, moving her hand up to pad her palm against her cold forehead. She brushed the hair from there, gazing down into her empty eyes. Another sob choked her.

"Maleficent, I'm still here," Sky tried to say, moving through the air to float behind her. The horned woman didn't appear to hear her. Tears rolled down her cheeks, dipping along her jaw and into the collar of her cloak.

Her eyes widened, and she suddenly straightened, whirling around to gaze into the darkness of the room.

Her eyes probed the contents of each canister, searching, frantic. She came upon Aurora's cell quickly. She scoured her body for any wounds, running her fingers down along the edges of the glass. A surge of gold flicked out at it and it snapped, breaking cleanly in half and sliding open.

"Aura, wake up!" Maleficent cried, cradling her close, pressing her forehead to the side of her cheek. "Sweet Aurora. Please," she begged, gripping onto one shoulder and lifting her out, pulling her into a warm embrace.

Sky shifted next to them, reaching out, touching. Her fingers moved through them, intangible.

"This isn't real," she repeated over and over. "This can't be real." But with each passing moment, with each choking sob, she began to realize that it was real. Maleficent was real. Aurora was real. Their baby, gurgling softly, innocent and oblivious to the cruelty that had taken place around them- was real.

The room was real. The shadow woman was real. Sky's lifeless body was real, drifting at the opposite end of the room like an empty vessel.

There came a sudden sucking sensation, whirling and pulling at the core of her. A chasm opened around her, drawing her in like a hungry, gaping mouth. She clawed at the air, gripping onto it as though it were a fabric.

"NO!" She shouted, scrambling to stay afloat. She had to stay. She had to live. "Maleficent! Aurora!"

But her voice was gone. Her body was gone. She was gone. The void snapped up around her, devouring her on the spot and blanketing her in utter darkness.


	25. Destitution

"Aurora, can you hear me? Aura... wake up!"

There were soft, cool hands brushing along Aurora's clammy cheeks and forehead, both probing and gentle. Her eyes eased open at Maleficent's touch.

The room around her was bright; a pearly white, perfectly cylindrical place with strange, glass tubes jutting strangely out of the curving walls. Something raw and putrid forced her to scrunch her nose and recoil, shifting the back of her hand up over her face. She squinted up at Maleficent, who was for some reason wearing a dark cloak adorned with a thick, draping hood. Her horns spiraled up and away from it through two finely stitched openings as though it were made just for her.

Aurora blinked a few times, glancing down at the woman. Her chest looked odd. A plate of some sort of armor jutted out away from her breast, cupping something foreign against her body.

"Mal..." Aurora's breath shook as she attempted to sit up, guided by Maleficent's powerful wings. She had been laying on the slick, cold floor. Shattered glass lay all around her naked form. "Mal... what happened? What is that smell?" she asked, scrunching her nose again. Her eyes were beginning to water from the stench.

"Shh, come," Maleficent whispered, pulling her forward and wrapping her arms, her wings, around her. Aurora gazed up into her face as she was pulled in, studying her quivering bottom lip and wet eyes.

"Maleficent, what happened?" she asked again, but allowed herself to be pulled fully into her. She was warm, and her arms were powerful where they clamped around her. Gold fluttered out around her, spilling out into the humid room. The bad smell instantly vanished, replaced by the familiar scent of the moors and its woods, its fresh waters and its wonderful flowers.

Aurora jumped at the realization, squeezing Maleficent tightly around her shoulders and pressing her cheek against her jaw. "Your powers are back!"

Maleficent nodded, humming, a small smile pulling at her lips. Aurora dragged a slender finger across her bottom lip and clutched her shoulders tighter.

Something moved against Maleficent's chest, capturing Aurora's attention in an instant. She bolted, sitting upright and gazing down into the dark folds beyond the strange plate of armor. The fabric emitted a light giggle.

"Mal!" she gasped, startled, catching Maleficent's wet eyes, wonder shining through her own.

"Go on," Maleficent encouraged, lowering her gaze to the soft lump. She reached up, gently pulling away the fabric and unveiling the tiny face of a babe, eyes bright and magnetic.

Aurora's breath caught in her throat at the sight of her, and she sat paralyzed for a moment, a shaking hand paused just above her daughter's forehead.

"Her name is Light... unless of course you would like to change it. I don't think she's gotten too attached to it yet," Maleficent tried to smile, but her lip shook again, and Aurora couldn't understand why.

"Light..." Aurora whispered, finally reaching down to rub the pad of her thumb along the baby's forehead, completely entranced by her radiant eyes. They were so like her own, but much more vibrant and electric. Gold blazed around her pupil like the sun's rays, even appearing to flicker and move as though they had a life of their own.

Her skin was soft, so soft. It was warm, lighting Aurora's fingertips up where she grazed her small belly. Light giggled suddenly, scrunching her eyes as she gazed up at Aurora with a toothless grin.

"Light is a beautiful name. _She's_ beautiful," Aurora whispered, leaning down to kiss the babe softly on her head. She brushed a tuft of golden brown hair, the tiny nub of a horn. "And she looks just like you."

"Funny, I thought the same, but of you," Maleficent smiled, and Aurora grinned up at her in response, her eyes bright and shining.

More warm, gold sparks pooled around Aurora's form, dancing across her bare flesh. It ticked where it moved along her arms and legs, entwining and hardening, criss-crossing to create a bright, white fabric.

Soon, she was adorned in another long, white coat like the one Sky had given her. It was bright, soft and new, with shining clasps and buckles, some of which were fashioned to look like small, blazing suns.

A matching pair of pants and boots materialized soon after, and Maleficent was guiding her to her feet, clutching her softly by the crook of her arm. She pulled her into another tight hug, kissing her sharply on the cheek. One of her tears brushed Aurora's skin and she looked up at the horned woman again, frowning.

"What happened?" she asked a third time. "Where are we? Where's Sky? Those people that attacked us? When... when did you give birth? I feel as though a lifetime has gone by without me."

Maleficent's lip shook again, and she lowered her head, idly tucking more stray fabric around Light's tiny form.

"Sky is gone..." Her voice was barely above a whisper, and she had to clear her throat before glancing back up at Aurora's stunned face.

"Gone? She's... she's dead?"

Maleficent slowly nodded, lips tight. She turned, reaching out with one hand to flit gold dust at her surroundings. A veil rose up around them, as though a sheet, uncovering the gruesome scene of a crumpled, mashed up body. Black, tar-like fluid oozed away from the gnarled form.

Aurora jumped, backing into Maleficent and covering her mouth. "You killed it?" she asked, furrowing her eyebrows. Although it was crushed almost beyond recognition, Aurora knew what it was. It was the woman with the strange, tapered arm and the void eyes. It was the woman that had attacked them in the cavern. She must have brought them here.

"I did. I couldn't control myself... when I saw Sky's body."

"Sky's... body?" Aurora choked on her words, squinting around the room with wet eyes. "Where? Where is she? How did this happen?" Her head pounded. Perhaps she was still dreaming. Perhaps she was still under the effects of the strange drugs she had been given.

Maleficent grazed her knuckles along the side of Aurora's jaw, kissing her lightly on the forehead once more.

"I woke up in a room here all alone. I gave birth there... while some creatures watched. They were just staring. They didn't say anything. It... disturbed me. And then, afterward, they came toward us, like they were going to..." Maleficent paused, furrowing her eyebrows. "Like they were going to collect Light from me. I wouldn't have it. I attacked them and they ran, leaving me to search these halls."

Maleficent wrapped a warm arm around Aurora's shoulder as she backed further into her. The girl was shaking, clutching onto Maleficent's forearm to keep herself anchored. Her eyes continued to dart around the room, dissecting the strange capsules. They were all empty, frosty and cold. Unmoving. But there was something strange about them, something unreal.

"I wandered the halls, searching for you in every room I came upon. I called for you. I didn't care who would hear. But no one seemed to. It was as if this entire facility had been evacuated, and it was just me... Light and I. But then I heard that creature, talking to itself. Then it was howling as though in pain.

"I came upon this room as quickly as I could, thinking maybe she was in combat with one of you. But she was... on fire. This white fire had consumed her and Sky... Sky was..."

Maleficent sucked in a breath of air, lowering her eyes once again. She lifted her arm, casting a golden, swirling mist from the tips of her fingers. The energy fluttered out into the room, expanding outward and then recoiling slightly as it went, as though it had a breath of its own.

The vision of the empty canisters faded away with each exhale until it had vanished, unveiling Aurora's true surroundings.

Each of the canisters was inhabited by varying macabre creatures, frozen in time, some of which held their arms out as though in surrender. Most were creatures like those that had invited them to their cavern. They seemed to be pygmy versions of the creatures that had captured them, the ones that rode the gigantic arthropods. And then she saw-

Sky, hanging limply forward against a strange impaling machine with long tubes and wires, some of which disappeared into the pearly floor. Her body was nothing more than dead weight, draping heavily against metal, white blood still running freshly along her forearms and sliding along slick metal. Her eyes were blank and staring, devoid of everything that Sky was. She was simply an empty vessel.

Something painful clenched inside of Aurora's gut, like a massive serpent coiling inside of her. She felt suddenly sick at the sight of their friend, but it was impossible to tear her eyes away from the scene.

"We have to get her down from there," Aurora suddenly burst, running forward and grasping Sky by her shoulders.

"Aura!" Maleficent warned, reaching out with a shaking hand.

Aurora pulled Sky upward, sliding her off of the broken, stabbing metal with a strangled sucking sound. Sky fell limply into her open arms, head bobbing lifelessly against her shoulder. She was unusually heavy, though still warm, as though she were simply sleeping. White blood, thick as milk, soaked into the front of Aurora's coat.

She was suddenly crying, dipping her head against Sky's shoulder and hoisting her up.

Maleficent approached from behind, grazing soft fingers along the back of Aurora's neck, hesitant. Aurora glanced up at her with wet eyes.

"We can't leave her here. She saved us... we can't leave her here like this."

Maleficent nodded, rubbing her thumb along Aurora's shoulder carefully, doing her best to remain steady for her. "We won't," she promised. She flit her eyes up along the walls where she had pulled Aurora free from her canister. She grimaced, biting her lip. "And what about her?"

Aurora followed her gaze, her eyes falling on an unopened canister, of sleek, red hair and tanned flesh. It was the girl Sky spoke of, her enemy and somehow also her friend. Aurora furrowed her eyebrows, lowering her gaze and biting her lip as well. The girl had, in the end, helped them against the shadow woman. Perhaps she wasn't all that terrible.

"Sky wouldn't want her to be trapped her, either," Aurora frowned. "Although I don't know her... and I'm not sure how she would react to us. Do you think you could keep her asleep, like you used to enchant me? At least... until we're out of here."

Maleficent nodded again, reaching out with an upturned palm. Gold swept away from her fingertips, dashing across the surface of the canister. The glass shattered, spilling across the glossy floor in sharp, tinkling pieces.

Light squirmed against Maleficent's chest at the sound, gripping at Maleficent's front with a small fist.

The redhead floated forward, hovering along the gold mist. Her hair coiled out around her, long and vibrant against their stark white surroundings. Maleficent clothed her in a brown, flowing cloak with golden clasps and a large, blanketing hood.

Sky eased upward into the air next to her, weightless on the soft mist. Aurora's arms fell away from her as she drifted away. Maleficent eased Sky's eyes shut as she moved, swirling white fabric around her and redressing her in the clothes she had worn when they first met her. Heavy, metallic buckles clinked along the knee pads of her white, armored boots and strapped sleeves. A bright, silver mask lay flat against her chest, emitting a striking blue light. Her hair was bright and lively in its glow, curling and flowing along her pale cheeks and arched eyebrows in the swaying golden mist.

Aurora sucked in a small breath of air, another tear escaping her as she watched, wishing that she could somehow bring her back. Sky hadn't even known them, but she saved their lives. She helped them when they were in most need, and she did so without ever asking anything in return. She had only ever wished for their company, to never feel alone again. And yet she _was_ alone.

A warm hand grazed Aurora's cheek. She met Maleficent's gaze, eyes glistening.

"Let's take them home," Maleficent soothed, stroking her cheek with a softness that had Aurora trembling. She leaned into her with closed eyes, skin itching where her tears had burned a pathway to her jaw. "We can get her away from this wretched place, and say goodbye to her properly."

Aurora nodded, lowering her forehead to graze the soft fabric on Maleficent's shoulder. She tucked her arm around her waist and sighed, blinking sidelong into the dark, drawing portal that stretched open before them. It flickered and swayed against their white surroundings, licking at the air with black, smoky tendrils.

It was hard to believe that after all this time, the moors were just one small step away. One last, uncomfortable tugging sensation gripped Aurora, delivering her into the void.


End file.
